Second Chances Saga
by cobalt-blue
Summary: The MMPR get a second chance after dying in a battle they can't win. Romantic slash fic in AU. Power Rangers/StormQuest xover. Loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER. Epilog.
1. Default Chapter

The Second Chances Saga: Chapter 1- Decisions in the Gray. Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
I don't think I can do this.  
  
If you don't, then their reality will be destroyed.  
  
That was supposed to make it easier?  
  
No. It was supposed to make it clear to you how important it is.  
  
I know how important it is. But if I do this, then it will bring endless sorrow to them, and that's not fair.  
  
Sorrow or death? Which is preferable? Never mind, I know your answer.  
  
SILENCE  
  
Approach it from this angle: perhaps you will find the answer you seek there.  
  
SILENCE  
  
Are you listening?  
  
SILENCE  
  
I asked a question.  
  
If I do this, I do it my way, my rules.  
  
That is not the way things are usually done.  
  
Then find someone else.  
  
There is on one else.  
  
I know.  
  
You would hold an entire universe hostage for the sake of a few.  
  
No, I do it for the sake of love, for the sake of what should be, but for a perversion of the Master's laws. A universe that would forsake love isn't worth saving.  
  
You are a stubborn man. And a romantic.  
  
I had an excellent teacher. Take it or leave it. My way, or no way.  
  
SILENCE  
  
SILENCE  
  
Fine, you are free to act as you will, but there is a price.  
  
There is always a price.  
  
You must join them.  
  
Join them?  
  
Become one of them. For the sake of love.  
  
Very well.  
  
You agreed too easily.  
  
I agreed to give them the chance we never had.  
  
That is why the Master chose you.  
  
You won't be alone. I promise you.  
  
You promised that before.  
  
I know. I failed.  
  
No. I failed. I failed to protect you. I failed to keep you close. I let her kill you. I won't fail again. I won't let her take from them what she took from us.  
  
I love you.  
  
I love you too. Jason suddenly felt the grid go off-line. His tyrannosaur 'zord immediately powered down and stood helpless on the battlefield. Straining his neck, he looked out the main canopy to see in the distance Kimberly's pterodactyl plummet from the sky and slam headlong into the motionless form of the triceratops. He felt something die deep inside him, as he realized that nobody could have survived that explosion, Morphin' Power or not.  
  
Pounding his fists in helpless frustration with tears flowing down his face he watched as each of the other 'zords met a similar fate. Whoever these new invaders were, they played by a completely different set of rules than he was used to.  
  
Looking up, he saw an even dozen missiles streaking toward his 'zord- more than enough to finish him off. Working frantically he tried to force the emergency escape hatch open, but to no avail. Finally accepting his fate, his last thoughts before the blast took him were, "At least we'll be together."  
  
  
  
It was a great gray plane with no detail. It wasn't warm, it wasn't cold. There was no light, no darkness. Only existence. Time meant nothing- there was only now. "What would you give to save them?" A gentle voice came from behind Kimberly Hart.  
  
Turning to face the speaker, some part of her mind registered that she was still dressed in the pink mini-dress she was wearing at the party at the Youth Bar before the attack. The man-no, not quite a man, but not a boy either- was tall and whipcord thin. Shadows seem to dance around him like dark faeries. His hair so black as to have blue highlights, and deep cerulean eyes that reflected some deep sorrow stood in contrast to the deep shadows. He was handsome, painfully so, and it hurt Kim just to look at him. "What?" she asked.  
  
He smiled gently at her. "What would you give to save your friends?" he asked again gently.  
  
"What do you want?" she answered wondering where she was and what this man was talking about. Deep inside her, she realized that she had little of value to give, but, whatever he wanted, it would be worth her friend's lives.  
  
"What do you have to give?"  
  
She shook her head, "I don't know, but whatever you want that I have is yours. Just save them."  
  
"Will you give your love?"  
  
"To you?" she asked, but realized that if that was what it took, she'd do it.  
  
The man smiled sadly, "No, to them."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
He smiled, "I thought I made it clear. Would you give them your love?" She knew he meant something beyond the love of friendship. She only knew of one other kind of love.  
  
"I don't think they're interested in my love." She blushed deeply, "Except for Tommy."  
  
The man-boy chuckled. "I'm not talking about your body. I mean your soul. Would you bind it to theirs. Would you stand side by side with them against a force that makes anything you have faced up until now look like a picnic?"  
  
"I thought we already were." Kim told him. Deep inside though, she knew that not be the case. True, she and her friends had forged a bond that was deep and abiding, but there was still something missing from the connection. An absence that was necessary for the Power they wielded to be transferred from one holder to the next. Looking down, she saw the Power Coin in her hand, cold and lifeless. A thought came unbidden to her lips, "Am I dead?"  
  
The man shook his head, "No, not yet. I am offering you a chance to go back. I'm offering you the power to fight the invaders, to save Earth. But it comes at a price."  
  
"What price?" she asked.  
  
"That you be forever bound to your friends. That you give them and yourself," he chuckled ironically, "believe it or not, but self-love is very important here- your love freely and of your own will. That you be willing, not to die for them, but to live for them. Can you do that?"  
  
Kim was confused. "I love my friends with all my heart. I'll do whatever it takes to save them," she told him.  
  
"Especially Tommy?" the man asked with a smile.  
  
"No, all of them. Billy, Jason, Trini, Adam, all of them."  
  
He smiled again and insisted, "But especially Tommy."  
  
Finally realized that he was seeing to her heart and relented. "Especially Tommy." Tears of shame welled up in her eyes.  
  
"Good, honesty is very important." He smiled and brushed away a tear with the back of his hand. "Don't worry. You're not making a deal with the devil. I've been called a lot names, I've even met the gentleman, but I am not he." Taking her chin in his hand, he smiled down at her. Kim saw a great kindness in his own tear stained eyes. "Do you not think that your friends have their own loves? People they'd be willing to die for?"  
  
She nodded, "I always thought we all would each die for the others." Wiping away the remaining tears with the back of her own hand. "I guess. I just."  
  
"What you feel for Tommy is special?" he asked in an non-accusatory tone.  
  
Kim nodded. "It just seems wrong. I should love them all equally."  
  
The man smiled, "But you don't want to share your body with the others."  
  
Kim was shocked by the question. "Of course not! Is that what you're asking me to do?"  
  
The man shook his head, "No. I'm just making a point. You might be surprised to find that several of your friends share similar feelings for each other that you and Tommy do for each other."  
  
She smiled, "I always thought that Trini and Jason would make a good couple." She laughed, "And I guess I thought it would be neat if she and Billy would get together. They're both hyper intelligent, and seem comfortable around each other."  
  
The man smiled. "Be that as it may, my question still stands. Are you willing to bond yourself to them eternally?" He shook his head, "Not for the rest of your lives, but for the rest of all lifetimes."  
  
Kimberly was confused, "Now I really don't understand."  
  
He smiled again and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I didn't at first either. Let me ask you this way: would you be willing to bind your fate to theirs even beyond death?"  
  
She smiled, "You mean heaven or hell for all of us?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Will we be able to stop the invaders?"  
  
"Possibly." He shrugged. "They are powerful, and not of your universe, but it can be done." He looked down, "I did it." Looking back up he fixed her with his gaze. Suddenly she felt an overwhelming sense of loss and despair wash over her, "It cost me more than I should have ever had to pay- more than they should have had to pay- but I did it. My Earth is free."  
  
Kimberly felt her heart melt for this strange man. It was her turn to reach out and touch him. "Then how can I refuse. If there is a chance, if one man can do it, then why can't six?"  
  
He smiled at her, "So much like my own Suzanne- the hidden rock that all others rest upon." He turned from her and said, "Done."  
  
Kimberly suddenly felt an infusion of power pour through her body. It was like being connected directly to the Morphin' grid but beyond that. "So this is what Zordon meant by May the Power Protect You."  
  
Before she faded away, Kimberly heard him say, "No. You now ARE the Power." **************************************************************  
  
Billy couldn't believe what the man was asking. "Isn't that an asinine question? I would not have been engaged in a futile battle against a vastly superior force, if I weren't prepared to go back and do it again."  
  
The man in front of him smiled again, "It's easy to die for your friends, William Cranston. Living for them, loving them is what is hard. Are you willing to do that?"  
  
"I'm willing to do what ever it takes," Bill told the stranger.  
  
"Are you willing to bare your soul to them?" The man fixed his gaze on Billy and he felt himself writhe under its intensity. "Are you willing to bare your soul to the one you fear?"  
  
Billy swallowed hard. "I never acted."  
  
"I know. That's why I'm asking you this question. If given this chance are you going to go back and hide behind that dictionary you call a vocabulary, or are you going to act on what you've felt all these long years?"  
  
Billy considered what he was asking. It would take a great deal of courage, possibly more than he felt he could muster. Then the image of his friends dying at the hands of the invading fleet came to mind again, "why is it important to you?"  
  
The man smiled, "Good question. None of your friends have thought to ask that. It's very simple. If you're not willing to give love a chance, then why should you give life a chance?"  
  
"And if it costs me both the friendship and the love?" Billy asked.  
  
The man winced and Billy knew he hit a nerve with the question, "At least you tried. Then if you can, you come back here and pass beyond the veil where not even I can touch you."  
  
Something about what he said didn't make sense. "Who are you?"  
  
The man smiled again, "Just a veteran." He sighed, "Of a thousand psychic wars."  
  
"I always hated that song," Billy put both hands on his hips.  
  
The man smiled, but Billy noticed this time it was a cold smile, devoid of humor, "I'm someone who is willing to show you how to gain the Power you need to stop the invaders. All I ask in return is that you be honest with yourself and the universe."  
  
Billy took a moment to consider what he was being asked. Expressing his feelings was not his normal way of dealing with life. He'd rather duck his head and hope for the best. Dealing with what he was feeling head on was more of Jason's or Tommy's style. For no other reason than to save his friends, he'd be willing to do it. However, he had other reasons. He had some unfinished business with one of the other Rangers, and that was enough. He answered simply and concisely, "Affirmative."  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Tommy looked the guy up and down closely. The first question that came to his mind was: can I take him? He didn't move like a warrior, he didn't act like a warrior, but one can never tell. Mr. Ko didn't move or act like a warrior, but he was definitely somebody Tommy didn't want mad at him. "No question about it. I'll go."  
  
"Are you willing to give."  
  
"My body? My soul? My love?" Tommy asked. "Yes all of it."  
  
"You don't have any reservations?" the man asked.  
  
Tommy shook his head. "Nope. I love all of them, and would kick in the gates of hell for any of them." The man started to ask something but Tommy cut him off with a smile, "Especially Kimberly."  
  
The man just smiled. "You're a rare man Tommy Oliver. You face the world head on. I like that." He chuckled, "and if you ever have to attack those gates, let me know. I'll hold your coat for you."  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Trini thought about the man's question. She remembered the crash. She remembered the crushing power of the 'zord's bulkhead collapsing on her. She thought of how her family must feel. "It's better that I'm gone." She shook her head. "No. I won't go back. My battles are finished. Let me rest. I've fought enough in this life. I want peace for the next one."  
  
The man smiled sadly at her. "Very well."  
  
She felt herself being pulled away from the gray plain and toward some other source of great joy. A warmth and love wrapped around her as she passed beyond even her visitor's ability to reach.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
"What would you give to save them?" A voice asked him.  
  
"That was a dumb question," Jason turned to face the tall man standing near him. "What do you want?"  
  
"What've you got?" he smiled at Jason.  
  
"Not much," Jason told him.  
  
"Would you give them the truth?" the man asked.  
  
"I thought I had to pay you something," Jason commented.  
  
"You don't owe me anything. I'm just here to decide if you and your friends are worthy of saving," the man told him.  
  
"What will it cost to save them? Forget about me," Jason told him.  
  
The man smiled. "Just like that, you'd sacrifice yourself to save them?  
  
"In a minute," Jason told him without hesitation.  
  
"Especially."  
  
"Yes," Jason cut him off.  
  
"Are you willing to bare your soul to that person?" the man asked with a smile.  
  
"I regret keeping it to myself already," Jason said. "I wish I'd said something a long time ago."  
  
The man smiled, "You'll do, Jason Scott. You'll do."  
  
*********************************************  
  
Adam listened to the man's offer, considered his options, and the joy he knew to be waiting on the other side of the veil. A joy that was calling to him, but at the same time he felt a strong sense of loss. If he gave into the joy, he'd never be able to make up for that loss. He'd never be able to make up the debt he felt that the universe owed.  
  
"I'll go back," he finally said.  
  
"Why?" the man asked him. Adam got the impression that his answer had caught him off guard.  
  
"Because I owe it to someone." He wasn't about to tell this stranger that he'd already made his own deal. It wasn't as good as he'd like, but it was good enough. To be honest, when it had been explained to him, and by whom, he found himself unable to refuse.  
  
"I don't know about whom I am more concerned over their answers," the man told him. "You or the Kwan girl." Shrugging, he turned to face in the opposite direction. "But I won't look a gift horse in the mouth." He sighed. "You are again six."  
  
Adam heard the other voice this time. It is time.  
  
The man spoke, "I'm not sure how to do this."  
  
I'll show you.  
  
The world flashed away, and they were standing in the Power Chamber, or what was left of it.  
  
************************************************************  
  
Tommy looked around the area. The whole command center had been demolished and laid bare to the California sky. Looking down the mountain to the city below, he wondered about how little damage had been done to it. "I don't understand," Billy said. "I'd have thought that the invaders would have obliterated the city with our demise."  
  
"They have withdrawn for now." A definitely feminine voice said. Turning to where it came from, Tommy saw a short thin woman with ice blonde hair. "Your decisions in Sheol have bought your world some time." The woman shook her head as she picked her way through the rubble. "This place is a total loss."  
  
"Who are you?" Kim asked as she stood next to him. Tommy noticed she was wearing the dress she'd worn earlier. "Where's Zordon?"  
  
The woman frowned at her, "Zordon of Eltar has been freed from his prison and returned to the time stream." Looking around at the blasted command center, "I am Winter Hayes, your new advisor."  
  
"Advisor?" Jason asked as he kept stealing glances to his left.  
  
The woman nodded. "The rules have changed somewhat. It's been decided that you need less of a commander and more of an advisor."  
  
"And a combat trainer," a second feminine voice came from behind the rubble. Tommy followed the sound to see the biggest woman he'd ever encountered in his life pick her way through the debris. Where Winter was short, barely clearing five feet, this woman was huge, almost seven feet tall and built like an Amazon.  
  
Winter smiled, "This is Murphy Stone, she's sort of a specialist in training people like yourselves."  
  
The tall woman nodded as she set her bag down. Something obviously caught her eye because she stopped in mid-stoop and the only sound that came from her was slight "oh."  
  
Tommy followed her gaze back to Billy. Something about the young Blue Ranger had disturbed her. "What is it?"  
  
The woman stood and straightened her clothing, "Nothing. You just look like someone I used to know." There was something in her voice that told Tommy there was more to it than she was telling.  
  
"And that would be?" Another strange voice asked. This one was at least male. Looking over he realized that he'd failed to recognize the person wearing yellow off to his side wasn't Trini. In fact he wasn't even female.  
  
"Who are you?" Adam asked, a worried tone to his voice. Tommy had a bad feeling about what the answer was going to be.  
  
The other boy was short- shorter than even Adam- and slim. He was wearing a yellow muscle tee and a pair of black sweats. He was built like a tumbler. His face was framed by straight blue black hair that offset piercing blue eyes. "I'm Kyle," he said confused. "I think. The last thing I remember was being at the Youth Bar when the roof caved in." He shook his head. "The next thing I know, I'm talking to this funny guy dressed all in black, and he's asking me some pretty strange questions." Tommy couldn't help but think that the guy looked sad, "I think I died."  
  
"I think we all did," Kim said looking around for someone. "Where's Trini?"  
  
"She chose not to return," the woman calling herself Winter told them. "She wanted to go on."  
  
"You know of the events that transpired in that gray place?" Billy looked around at the others, "Or at least seemed to transpire." Shaking his head, "I'm not so sure I'm inclined to believe it all." Billy was like that, anything that had even a whiff of magic or mysticism tended to it set his teeth on edge. As if sensing Tommy's thoughts, Winter laughed with a sound that reminded him of tinkling glass, "Are you familiar with Clarke's Law?"  
  
Billy gave the woman a cold look, "Of course."  
  
"Then accept it as that."  
  
Billy nodded, "Any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic."  
  
"That's usually the way I deal with it," Stone told him. "It helps that I've spent most of my adult life around people with triple digit IQs that start with 2 and above."  
  
"Since when do we need someone to teach us how to fight?" Tommy asked. He could still feel the Power flow through him. It felt different than from the Morphin' grid. Like it wasn't filtered or something.  
  
"Not how to fight," Murphy told him and then looked over at the newcomer. "Or maybe that too. Primarily I'm here to help you adjust to being connected to what ever source it is that Covenant draws from."  
  
"Covenant?" Billy asked.  
  
"The man to whom you spoke. His name is Covenant. He's sort of a guardian, a Power Ranger from his dimension. He connected you directly to what you call the Power."  
  
"I got the feeling that he failed to stop whatever attacked us in his world," Jason said.  
  
"No, not fail," Kimberly told him. "I think the rest of his team died. He was the only survivor." She shrugged, "I think that's what he told me. He seemed to blame himself for their deaths."  
  
Winter only smiled sadly, "He's sort of a multiversal concept. He did stop them, but at a cost that was too high. He made a rather bad deal to save your world. I'm not sure I would have done it."  
  
Tommy looked around at the Command Center. "How are we going to fight the invaders." something occurred to him, "who are they by the way? But, how are we going to fight them without our 'zords? Without the Command Center?"  
  
"They are called the Kregar. They're a multiversal empire that is trying to spread their power to as many realities as possible." Stone looked at them and smiled ironically, "The 'zords you had weren't very effective against them were they?"  
  
"Honestly? No." Jason said quickly.  
  
"Then we'll have to build new ones," Billy said with a strange look on his face. Tommy got the feeling that more transpired in that gray world than he was privy to.  
  
"I can't believe Trini's gone," Adam said to nobody in particular.  
  
Kimberly put a hand on his shoulder, and Tommy could see the tears in her eyes. "I know. It's a whole in my heart that I don't think will ever heal." She pulled their young Korean friend into a fierce hug, as tears streamed down her own face.  
  
One by one, they all reached out and touched, and were pulled into the embrace: Tommy first, then Jason, and finally Billy.  
  
Kyle Kerry watched as these strangers mourned the loss of their friend. As they fell into each other's arms, he felt a sense of longing, of being on the outside. It wasn't an unfamiliar sense, and he turned his back to the hug and looked out over Angel Grove. Once again, he was the odd man out.  
  
He'd hated the idea of moving here, but his dad thought it was best. After the incident back in Kentucky, he wanted to get as far away from Raceland as possible, to make a fresh start for himself and his family. One where the spectre of the death of another boy wouldn't be constantly hanging over his son's head. What his father didn't understand was that even though his son had been cleared of any responsibility in Neal's death, Kyle still blamed himself.  
  
Now he'd been here less than a week and someone else had died around him. He was beginning to feel like he carried some kind of curse. People kept dying, young people who should be alive and have their whole lives ahead of them.  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back he saw Ms. Hayes standing there smiling at him, "They don't mean to leave you out."  
  
Kyle smiled back at her. "I know. A hurt shared is a hurt lessened," he quoted his grandmother. "I just don't want them to think I'm going to try and fill Trini's shoes."  
  
"You knew the girl?"  
  
Kyle shook his head. "Not really. I met her at school last week. She was assigned to show me around for the day, but disappeared suddenly." Looking over at the others who were comforting each other he smiled to himself, "I guess they had business to take care of- world saving business."  
  
"You're new to this aren't you?" Ms. Hayes asked him.  
  
"New to being a super-hero?" he smiled. "Let's just say that I don't have a signet ring with a costume in it, or a cave beneath my house with all kinds of high tech equipment and a cool car." He shook his head, "But new to people dying? No, that I'm an old hat at."  
  
"We're all coming from a point of loss Kyle. Don't let yours shut you out from them. Give them time. You might find that they have room in their hearts for someone new."  
  
He stopped and looked the petit woman up and down very carefully, as the bitterness threatened to take him. "Ms. Hayes, maybe they shouldn't get to know me. People I know, people I care about tend to come down with a bad case of the dead."  
  
He saw something flash in her eyes, and for a brief instant, the Power that was flowing through him reached out and felt the vast Power inside her. "Don't let the past eat you up Kyle. You don't know what's going to happen in the future, so all you've got to live for is the now."  
  
Kyle looked back at the others and then smiled, "right now, they have to bury their friend- that's something they don't need me around for. Later maybe, when the world needs saving, give me a call. Until then, I'll be at home trying to keep my dad from worrying that I'm getting involved with a gang." He turned and left the command center on foot.  
  
  
  
"I don't know which bothers me more," Kimberly told the rest of the gang at the youth bar. "Trini being gone or the sudden changes at the Command Center." "Trini being gone," Billy answered without hesitation. "I can understand how the Command Center got rebuilt- Ms. Stone explained that. Trini being gone has left me." he couldn't find the word he was looking for.  
  
"Hurting?" Tommy interjected, and Billy felt the bigger boy's hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to hurt Billy. We all do."  
  
Billy shook his head, "I know about hurt Tommy. I've had a great deal of experience with it. It is something else. It is as if there is something missing from my life. Something that I know is there, but can't touch." Billy knew what part of it was. It wasn't all of the hole in his heart, but a good portion. That part would have to wait though. He hadn't yet decided on how to deal with that particular agreement, but he was a man of his word. He knew that the time was coming soon to make good on his promise. "Trini being gone has left me re-evaluating my life. The road not taken sort of thing."  
  
"You have regrets?" Adam asked incredulously.  
  
Billy nodded, "Of course Adam. Do you really think I'm not human. That I don't make mistakes- that there aren't things I wish I'd done differently?"  
  
Adam smiled and kidded his friend, "As a matter of the fact, yes. I've never known you to make a mistake. Name one, besides while you were learning karate."  
  
Billy wasn't sure what made him answer the way he did. Maybe it was his own sense of honor and desire to keep his agreement. Maybe it was just time to do it, but he blurted out, "I never told anyone that I was in love. I almost died, I did die, all of us did, and the one thing I regretted was not sharing that" There was a stunned silence at the table as he got up and left, "Excuse me, but I promised Ms. Hayes I'd help her fix the main hangar bay doors."  
  
"Billy? In love?" Adam asked amazed. "I just never thought of him like that."  
  
Tommy smiled, "It's always the quiet ones." Kimberly noticed a hint of worry in his voice, "you don't think it was Trini do you? I mean, I can't imagine not telling someone I loved them and then having them die."  
  
Kim took a deep breath. That would explain what he was trying to say he felt. Maybe he had been in love with Trini, and never said anything. Now that it was too late, he might be beating himself up for it. Looking over at Jason she asked, "Jase, you're closest to him. Has he ever said anything like that to you?"  
  
Kim could see a conflict inside Jase too. It was clear that Billy's revelation had taken the Red Ranger by as much surprise as it the rest of them. He shook his head, "No." He struggled for words. "This is the first he's ever mentioned it to me. Come to think of it, it's the first time he's ever mentioned the L word at all. Somehow, though I don't think it was Trini. I think he got over any feelings he might have had for her a long time ago."  
  
"If it wasn't Trini," Adam began, "then who?" He looked knowingly at Kim.  
  
Kim shook her head, "Billy's like a brother to me. He's never said anything about any feelings beyond that."  
  
"He just said that he'd never told anyone about it." Jase gave Tommy a knowing look, "Didn't you two have a falling out when you and Kim first started dating?" Kim could hear an accusatory tone to his voice.  
  
"It was nothing," Tommy replied. Kim knew he wasn't telling the complete truth. "I asked him about it, and he told me that they were just friends." Tommy chuckled, "He did threaten me with something pretty vicious though if I ever hurt her."  
  
"Billy threatened you?" Adam asked. It seemed to be his day to stay amazed.  
  
Tommy nodded, "I had to go look up some of the words when we were finished, but he told me if I ever hurt Kimberly that he'd remove certain body parts from me- without anesthesia."  
  
They all laughed at, but Kim made a mental note to ask Tommy what had happened between he and Billy. Tommy wasn't telling everything, and she got the distinct feeling that he was pretty embarrassed by it. She sighed and realized that it couldn't be serious though. If it had been, Jason would have been all over Tommy like a junk-yard dog. Those two had been best friends since they were in fourth grade.  
  
"What about Kyle?" Adam asked.  
  
Tommy smiled, "I don't think Billy's known Kyle long enough to be in love with him."  
  
Adam threw a napkin at him, "That's not what I mean, Tommy. I mean what are we going to do about him?"  
  
"What do you mean do about him?" Jason asked.  
  
"I mean, Ms. Hayes made it pretty clear that he was one of us now." He looked around, "But I haven't seen him around a whole lot."  
  
"Maybe he thinks we don't want him around," Kim suggested. She realized that although she'd seen the new transfer to AGHS several times in the halls, and almost every day at gymnastics, she'd yet to speak to him in more than just passing.  
  
"Why?" Jase asked.  
  
"Think about it, Jason." Adam told him. "He is holding the Yellow now." He looked around, "and we all associate Yellow with Trini. Maybe he thinks we think he's trying to take Trini's place."  
  
"It's not that," Jason told him. "I guess we have to get used to someone else holding the Yellow."  
  
Kim shook her head, "He's not holding the Yellow, Jase. He IS the Yellow."  
  
Jason just nodded. "I guess one of us should talk to him. Let him know it's not anything personal. We just need to get used to someone else in Trini's place." Kim saw Jase look over at Adam, "Like when Adam took over for Zack."  
  
"Man that was rough. I was so afraid that you guys would think I was trying to replace him or something."  
  
Kim smiled, "Maybe Kyle is feeling the same way."  
  
"I'll talk to him," Adam said. "Maybe ease him into it."  
  
Tommy smiled, "You do that Bro." He looked over at Jason, and Kim knew that something was on his mind. "Wanna' spar man?"  
  
Jason smiled, "Controlled violence huh? Sounds good to me." Tommy kissed Kimberly quickly on top of the head and got up. "We'll be back later."  
  
"Fine," she told him. "I think I'll go up to the Command Center and talk to Billy."  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"Wanna' talk about it man?" Tommy asked Jason after the match. Tommy couldn't believe how intense the whole workout had been. He and Jase had always been pretty evenly matched in a fight, but Tommy had to admit to himself that if today had been a real fight, Jason would have cleaned his clock.  
  
"Talk about what?" Jase asked as they left the showers.  
  
"Whatever it is that's got you so upset."  
  
"I'm not upset" Jason said evenly.  
  
"No. Upset's not really the word. I'd say more like pissed off."  
  
"What makes you think I'm pissed off?" Jase asked.  
  
"Something about you trying to knock me through a couple of walls out there earlier." And damn near succeeding.  
  
"I just can't believe that Billy didn't tell me." Jason told him.  
  
"What that there was somebody he cared about?" Tommy asked drying off.  
  
Jase nodded as he began to get dressed. "I mean, I always thought he and I could talk about anything." He smiled over at Tommy. "We do too. We used to spend half our nights sleeping over at each other's house just talking away the darkness."  
  
"You guys are really close, huh" Tommy hoped the hurt he felt didn't show through in his voice. Jason was the closest thing he'd ever had to a best friend. He was the one that fought so hard for him to become a member of the team after he was free of Rita's spell. Billy had seconded it immediately, but Jase had been the first to offer that friendship. He knew that Jase and Billy had been friends for years, and that they were like brothers, but hadn't realized how close they'd really been.  
  
Jason smiled, "You wouldn't think it to see us, with me being the dumb Jock and Billy the boy genius, but we always have been- ever since elementary school."  
  
Tommy kidded Jason, "Jase you've got a 3.6 GPA. Somehow I don't think "dumb jock" applies to you."  
  
"I've got a 3.6 GPA because Billy is a very good tutor," Jason told him. "He always has been. He'd tutor me, and I'd then we'd talk about anything and everything." Jason took a deep breath, "I spent half a night one night telling him about my first date with Emily." He took on a more somber look, "and a whole one telling him about the night she broke up with me. He sat and listened to me go on and on about her, never saying anything- just listening." He shrugged, "I guess, I just figured if he had any feelings for anyone, he'd tell me first. Sort of ask me for advice." Jason blushed, "that sounded conceited didn't it.  
  
Tommy brushed his hair back and twisted it into a ponytail. "Just a little. You heard what he said. He's never told anyone. He's quiet that way, not one to show his feelings."  
  
Jase smiled, "I guess you're right. I just hope that when he tells them, whoever it is realizes how lucky they are to have someone like him." He took a deep breath and looked over at Tommy. "You want to tell me what happened between you two when he threatened you?"  
  
It was Tommy's turn to blush. Jason was the one person he really didn't want to find out about just how much a jerk he'd been. He knew how hyper-protective of Billy the Red Ranger was. "You promise not to pound me?"  
  
Jason smiled, "that bad huh?"  
  
Tommy blushed deeper. "Yeah, let's just say I was a royal jerk. I guess I was jealous of all the time he was spending with Kimberly. I mean those two are almost as close as you and he are."  
  
Jase nodded his head, "I know. In elementary school they used to call us the Three Musketeers."  
  
"Well, I sort of caught Billy at the Youth Center hugging Kimberly one evening. After she left I sort of went off on him." Tommy shuddered at the memory. "I lost my cool, and decked him."  
  
"You did what!?" Tommy watched Jason come up off the bench, his fists clenched.  
  
Tommy backed up and held his hands up in submission, "Look guy, it was wrong, I was wrong, and I apologized."  
  
Jason stepped up into Tommy's face, "You ever hit Billy again, and I'll do those things he threatened to do you."  
  
Tommy smiled, "Hey man. It's water under the bridge. We're friends now."  
  
Jason smiled and backed off. "That's good. I'd hate to have to hurt a one good friend over another."  
  
Tommy breathed a sigh of relief, "I have to say this much for him man. Once he knew I was coming after him, he wasn't going to back down. He stood his ground to protect Kimberly. Fortunately, he can be pretty persuasive when he sets his mind to it."  
  
"I'm glad, for your sake." Jason told Tommy as he sat back down on the bench. There was a hardness to Jase's voice that Tommy had never heard before.  
  
"Do you think he'd really do those things to me?" Tommy asked in jest.  
  
Jason nodded, "If he thought you'd hurt Kim, I have no doubt about it man. He loves Kimberly like a sister."  
  
"I'm glad." Tommy said. He took a deep breath, "Jase?"  
  
"Yeah man," Jason asked looking up from where he was tying his tennis shoes.  
  
"Mind if I ask you a question?" Tommy ventured carefully. "I mean without getting my head pounded into the locker."  
  
Jason smiled, "I'm not going to hit you."  
  
Tommy chuckled and sat down, "Why are you so protective of Billy?"  
  
Jason looked up, "Why are you so protect." his voice trailed off for a second as if something had occurred to him. He shrugged, "I don't know. He's just the best friend I've ever had." Sighing he looked down, "And I guess, because I sort of think the world owes him something."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Nobody ever told you about Billy's mom did they?"  
  
"Kim said that she died when Billy was nine." Tommy shrugged.  
  
Jason nodded, "Billy was pinned in the car during the accident. He watched his mom bleed to death right in front of his eyes while the paramedics worked on her. He spent several months in care while his dad recovered in the hospital." Jason sighed, and Tommy could tell that talking about it wasn't easy for Jason either. "Plus, as a kid he got picked on a lot. I mean a lot. Until we met, I don't think he had a friend besides Kim." Jason smiled, "And let's face it, what's worse than getting picked on? Being protected by a girl."  
  
"Hey man. He doesn't get picked on anymore," Tommy told him.  
  
Tommy watched as a smile spread across Jason's face. "You're right. He's become pretty self-reliant."  
  
Tommy laughed, and put an around Jason's shoulders as they left the locker room. "I think you've had a great deal to do with that."  
  
*************************************************************  
  
Adam walked into the gym where Kyle was doing a tumbling routine across the mats. He was dressed in a black tank and shorts and his skin glistened from the exertion. Nobody else was in the room, and Adam realized that the other boy hadn't seen him arrive.  
  
For long minutes, Adam stood in the corner watching his new teammate work out. He went through several very complicated aerial maneuvers before finally coming to a stop at the end of the mat. Adam couldn't help but notice that the other boy was barely winded. He clapped in appreciation. "You realize that Kimberly is going to be so pissed with you."  
  
Looking up and suddenly realizing that there was someone else in the room, the dark haired boy blushed slightly before picking up a towel and wiping his face. "Great, that's all I need."  
  
"And what do you mean by that?" Adam asked going over to where Kyle was drying off. "I was just pointing out that she's no longer the only gymnast on the team." He smiled, "You're good man. As good as she is."  
  
"Thanks, but I don't need anyone else on the team to compete with." He sighed, "Look, I realize you guys had rather it be Trini on the team than me. That it had been me that died that day instead of her. If I could bring her back I would, but I can't."  
  
Adam gave the boy a somber look, "Is that what you think?"  
  
Kyle turned and locked eyes with Adam. There was deep hurt there. Somewhere in the past, and unless Adam missed his guess, somebody very close to Kyle had hurt him. "It's true isn't it? You wish she was still the Yellow Ranger and I wasn't here."  
  
Adam refused to drop his gaze, "Yes, we miss Trini- desperately. Do we wish you were dead and she here in your place? No. We all got the same choices, she's not here, because she chose not to be here." Adam fought to control the tears welling up in his eyes, "I don't know why she chose to die, and not come back but she did. I think that's what hurts the worse. Not that she died, but that she chose not to come back."  
  
"The fact that I did, does that make me weaker, greedy, selfish?" Kyle asked.  
  
Adam shook his head, "No." He thought back to the joy he felt being offered on the other side of the veil. It was a feeling he'd never forget, and turning that down to come back here was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. "No. It makes you stronger. It makes you less selfish. That's what makes us angry." He reached out and touched Kyle's shoulder. "Angry at her, not at you. Angry at her for being selfish and not strong enough." Adam felt the tears he'd been fighting spill over onto his cheeks.  
  
He felt Kyle reach out and touch his own shoulder. "Don't do that man. She still died trying to save this city. Remember her for the good she did." Something else started to open up in Adam's mind, something half- remembered from that plane, something that made him just a little nervous.  
  
He nodded, "Come on." Looking up he smiled at Kyle, "If we don't get out of here, this is going to turn into a chick moment."  
  
Kyle smiled, "Is that so bad?"  
  
Adam replied, "Only if we get caught. Tommy and Jase would never let us live it down. The two newest members of the team caught crying over something together."  
  
Kyle picked up his gym bag and headed toward the showers, "Let me get a shower and I'll buy you smoothie at Ernie's and you can tell me what you mean by the two newest members."  
  
Twenty minutes later, the two were sitting in the Youth bar talking. "You said we were the two newest members. I thought you'd always been with the team." Kyle asked.  
  
Adam smiled and took a drink of his smoothie. For some reason he was craving banana instead of his usual blackberry smoothie and it was surprisingly good. "I wasn't the original holder of the Black. That was Zack, but he moved away, so I got recruited."  
  
"What about the others?"  
  
Adam sat back and thought about it. "Let's see. The only originals left on the team are Kimberly, Jason, and Billy. They were the ones Zordon first chose. Tommy joined later after he broke Rita's spell. Not long after that, Zack left, so I took up the Black Coin."  
  
Kyle just nodded. "I'm still getting used to this whole idea of being a super-hero."  
  
Adam smiled, "I can tell."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Because you're wearing my colors."  
  
Kyle looked at him confused and then looked down. "Huh?"  
  
"Haven't you noticed? Jason always wears red, Kimberly pink, Tommy green, Billy blue, me black, and Trini always wore yellow." He looked Kyle up and down. "Not a spot of yellow on you anywhere."  
  
Kyle just smiled and looked down, "At least not where you can see it."  
  
"I didn't need to know that man." Adam joked.  
  
Kyle just smiled, "Yellow isn't a color that looks good on me. It makes me look jaundiced."  
  
Adam laughed, "never thought much about that. I guess with your complexion it would kind of wash you out." As if realizing what he was talking about he asked Kyle, "do you realize that we're sitting here discussing what colors look good on us like a couple of chicks?"  
  
Kyle just laughed. "Yeah man. Now that would ruin our reputations."  
  
"We have reputations?" Adam asked.  
  
Kyle just shrugged, "I don't, but you do."  
  
"Quick tell me what it is," Adam asked.  
  
He watched Kyle blush deeply, "Uh, never mind."  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Billy was amazed at how quick he was catching on to the new technology Ms. Hayes and Ms. Stone had brought to the Command Center. Normally it took him a while to analyze a new piece of Eltarian technology before he could understand it. What she brought just seemed to make sense to him. It was as if he could just open it up and understand where and how it went together. He slowly came to realize that this stuff is what he would build if given an unlimited budget and enough time.  
  
"Billy?" Kimberly's voice came from behind him.  
  
Without looking up, he answered, "Yeah Kim?"  
  
"You know I love to watch you in the lab," she told him. "It's like watching Jason or Tommy in the dojo."  
  
Billy shrugged, "You sound like Jason. Sometimes he'll come over and sit in the corner and watch me for hours." He smiled and told her something he'd never told anyone else. "We've got this game we play. I'll start out describing what I'm doing in terms I understand, and then start clarifying it until I get to a level he understands. It's kind of fun, especially when he gets it before either of us expects."  
  
"Just shows what a good tutor you are." She told him.  
  
"Nah, just shows that Jase's a lot smarter than he wants anybody to believe."  
  
Some part of his mind registered that Kimberly had sat down on the foot of the new 'zord behind him. He hadn't turned around to see it, but knew that she had. "You dropped a bombshell on us today Billy."  
  
"Oh?" he asked pretending not to know what she was talking about.  
  
"Yeah. I think you hurt Jase's feelings a little bit," she told him.  
  
"What do you mean?" Billy asked. That was something he'd not considered and the last thing on Earth he'd have wanted to do.  
  
"I think he'd of liked to know that you had an interest in someone before the rest of us." Kimberly told him.  
  
Billy exhaled in a sigh, "That probably wouldn't have been a wise course of action for me to take." Billy told her.  
  
"Why Billy?" Kim asked. "It's not Emily is it?"  
  
"God no!" Billy told her. "Trust me, it's not Emily. Don't tell Jason this, but I'd rather kiss Lord Zedd." He smiled, "and before you ask, it wasn't Trini either. I got over that infatuation at fourteen."  
  
Billy could sense Kim's mind working. "I'm not sure I understand. And Zedd? Eww that's not an image I want."  
  
"What don't you understand?" Billy asked not turning around.  
  
He felt Kim's hand on his shoulder as she gently pulled him back from the circuit board on the wall. "William K. Cranston, would you please turn around and talk to me?"  
  
Billy chuckled, "You sound like Jason's mom." He turned around and looked at his friend.  
  
She sighed, "Look, you dropped a pretty heavy one on us. Kinda' like Adam said. You're just not someone we tended to think of as being in love."  
  
"Thanks Kimberly. Make me feel even worse because I don't engage in the normal amorous pursuits of my age-mates." Billy was surprised to realize that he was just a little hurt.  
  
"It's not that Billy. It's just you've never shown any interest in any girls." Kimberly told him trying to apologize.  
  
"Let's just say that I haven't found anyone of the female persuasion to pique my interests."  
  
"But you said you were love?" Kimberly asked.  
  
"Yes?" Billy asked blushing down to his toes. This was getting a whole lot more personal than he wanted it to. He knew if he wasn't careful Kim was smart enough to figure things out.  
  
He watched as realization of what he'd said fluttered to her eyes. "Oh my," she said. Then he could almost see the next thought come to her mind, "It's not Tommy is it?"  
  
"Uh. no." Billy said, unconsciously rubbing his chin. "He's a good friend, and he's all yours and you can keep him. And please don't pursue this line of thought any further. It could prove embarrassing for all parties involved- whether they know they're involved or not."  
  
He watched as she nodded and swallowed hard. "I didn't know. You've never given any real indication of your orientation one way or the other." She sighed. "Can I ask you something else?"  
  
"Of course. As long as it's not the identity of the object of my affections," Billy told her.  
  
"Tommy said you and he had an argument over me. He wouldn't tell me any more than that you threatened to cut off parts of his body he might want to use if he hurt me."  
  
"No, that's not quite what I said. I threatened to use the Morphin' grid to teleport certain parts of his body to various spots around the globe."  
  
"Billy!" She smiled. "You really threatened Tommy over me?"  
  
"You're the closest thing I've ever had to a sister. Of course I'm not going to allow him to hurt you." Billy told her. "Do you think Jason is the only one who would defend your honor?"  
  
"No, but that's just mean, using the Morphin' grid that way. I figured you just do something like turning his hair bright orange or something." Kimberly told her.  
  
"Kimberly, what I feel for you is greater than some mere prank. If he hurts you, I may not be able to match him in the dojo, but there are other battlefields than the physical one." Billy told her. He sighed, "But I don't think Tommy's going to hurt you. Actually you two are good for each other."  
  
"Tell me what happened between you two," Kimberly asked.  
  
Billy sighed, "I don't think that's wise. Tommy and I worked it out. It was over you, and nobody got hurt." Billy rubbed his jaw again. "At least not seriously."  
  
"Does Jason know?" Kim asked.  
  
Billy shook his head, "About which conversation are you inquiring?" Billy immediately regretted the question. Kimberly was intelligent enough to draw her own conclusions, and he honestly wanted to deal with them himself.  
  
Kimberly stood a moment thinking about what he'd asked. "I meant about you and Tommy in a fight. But."  
  
"Kimberly, whatever you think you might have deduced from anything I've said here, I would appreciate your discretion." Billy continued, "I don't think there is ever really going to be chance for what I want to become reality. I don't think it's in the makeup of the object of my affections. Please give me the opportunity to deal with this rather embarrassing situation in my own way. That's the decision I made in the gray."  
  
Kimberly smiled at him. "Yeah, I've got to figure out how handle my decision too. Whatever you say, but if you need someone to talk to I'm here. God knows you've been around enough for me and Jason. It's the least I can do."  
  
Billy smiled at her. "Thank you Kimberly."  
  
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Just remember Billy. You're not alone. We are a team, and we do love each other."  
  
"I know," Billy told her as she headed back out of the hangar.  
  
Murphy watched the interplay between her two newest charges. She decided that this gig was going to be more of a handful than she'd originally thought. Of course if Winter had told her about this boy, she'd have never agreed to take it. Looking at him was still painful. Now to overhear this conversation, she wasn't sure she could bear to lose another one.  
  
After the Hart girl left, she quietly approached the boy. "Hey sugar. How's it coming?"  
  
The boy turned and gave her a surprised look. "I don't think I'll ever get used to you Southerner's calling everyone sugar."  
  
She gave him a big smile, "Well, I could call you honey-pie."  
  
The snort that escaped his lips was enough to tell her what he thought of that particular pet name. "I'd rather you not."  
  
"You just don't look like a Billy and you don't look like a Cranston," she told him.  
  
He smiled up at her, "No hooked nose or Alec Baldwin good looks?"  
  
"Oh, you've got the good looks, just as far as I'm concerned, Alec Baldwin ain't all that good looking. Now Harrison Ford, there's a man for you."  
  
She watched the boy blush. He was worse than Kevin ever was. He turned back and finished working on the panel. After just a few seconds he closed it, and sighed as the doors came shut. "There. That's better." Looking up at her he asked, "Anything else around here you need repaired, Ms. Stone?"  
  
"Nothing in a mechanical sense," she told him.  
  
He blushed again. "Uh.? What then?"  
  
"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" Murphy asked.  
  
Billy shook his head, "What makes you think something is bothering me." He sighed, "Besides the fact that I just buried an old friend, I think I may have made a deal with infernal forces, and I'm not sure what reality is anymore."  
  
"Well, I can help you with the last two," Murphy told him. "You didn't make a deal with the devil. Covenant is pretty but the Devil's much prettier. And, reality? Well, reality is what you make of it, and from now until the end of time, you've acquired the ability to manipulate that to some extent."  
  
The boy sighed and leaned back against the console. "Did you know that I was thinking about MIT before the invasion? I thought I might give up the Power to continue my education."  
  
"Now you can do both. The nature of what's happened to you means you can't give it up. It's what you are." Murphy told him.  
  
"I surmised that." He blushed. "I've been doing some scans on my own. It seems there's an energy force in our bodies, not unlike when we're Morphed, but purer, more concentrated."  
  
"That's because the Power isn't being distorted by the Morphin' Grid and passed out to a thousand different things. That's because the Power has become part of what you are. It anchors you." She smiled at him. It was time the boy's education really began. "When you agreed to Covenant's offer, you were anchored to this reality. This reality was altered slightly to accommodate your not dying. Everything you were fighting for during the battle became locked into place for a brief period. Eventually, you'll have to fight them again, but you did win yourselves a brief respite." She looked around, "That's why the Kregar haven't been back for a while. Mind you, they're coming back, they always come back." She smiled, "Well except in my reality. They took one look at my Earth and tucked tail and ran."  
  
"Why?" Billy asked.  
  
"Well, on my world there are at least three beings who are capable of reaching orbit under their own power and throw things at Kregar ships at very high velocity. There are several others who can literally rip their ships from the skies. Then Blue tossed that battle cruiser halfway to Jupiter, Sloan just gutted one with his bare hands, Amanda set off an explosion in their engine rooms, and Katherine made them think they were running into a planet." She smiled. "Then they got a good look at Winter, and decided they didn't want to irritate a Time Lord." She laughed, "And then Adam and Steven set Ickie loose in one of their dreadnaught's electrical systems." She leaned against the bulkhead, "You see, my reality has lots of super heroes."  
  
"Someone tossed one of those ships to a Martian orbit?" Billy asked incredulously.  
  
Murphy nodded, "Yeah, one of Winter's fathers." That got the boy's attention.  
  
"Ms. Hayes has more than one father?"  
  
"Uh huh, two daddies and a mommy. Played havoc with the Religious Right when the world's greatest superhero turned out to be gay." She patted the boy on the cheek and turned to leave. Let him simmer in his juices for a while. She stopped at the door, turned around to face him and held out a lock of her brown hair, "Blonde, red-head or Brunette?"  
  
She watched him stammer for a few seconds until finally answering, "Black."  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Jason walked out of the locker rooms with Tommy and headed over to the juice bar. Some of what had happened with Tommy had his mind reeling. He couldn't believe how angry he'd become at Tommy when he found out the Green Ranger had actually hit Billy. He understood that it was in the past, but the idea of anybody laying hands on Billy sent his blood boiling. Why am I reacting this way? It turned out okay. Billy wasn't hurt, and he and Tommy are friends now.  
  
As they entered the Juice bar, he saw Adam and Kyle sitting and talking. Something was strange about the scene, and it took him a minute to realize that it was because Kyle was wearing black, not yellow. I wonder if that's because he doesn't want us to think he's trying to replace Trini.  
  
"Hey guys," He pulled up a chair and straddled it backwards, "What's up?" Tommy sat down across from him.  
  
"Oh, nothing worth mentioning," Adam said just a little too quickly.  
  
Tommy looked over at Kyle, "You trying to confuse the monsters?"  
  
"Huh?" Kyle asked.  
  
Tommy smiled, "Wearing black."  
  
Kyle looked down at his clothing. "No, it's just a color that looks good on me."  
  
Jason smiled and looked at the newest team member, "Just don't let Kim talk to you about what colors look good on you. She'll drag you to an all day shopping marathon. You'll want to run screaming in the other direction before the day is half over."  
  
Kyle shrugged, "I don't know. I kinda' like shopping." He smiled, "Look, I don't uh. play a lot of macho games. Fuck man, I'm a gymnast. You know what most people think about that."  
  
"So? That still doesn't mean you have to be tortured by one of her shopping sessions." Jason told him. "You know I think I've got it figured out. If we could make Rita and Zed go shopping with her one Saturday, we could send them screaming from the moon." He pitched his voice high, "No! No! No! Not another shoe sale at Macy's."  
  
All four of the Rangers broke down laughing at that. Finally Kyle looked up, "You may have point at that. I had a friend back in Kentucky that had more shoes than Imelda Marcos. She was constantly shoe shopping."  
  
Tommy told him, "Man if we keep talking about shoe shopping it's going to jinx us. She's going to come in here and shanghai one of to go shopping with her."  
  
Adam slapped the Green Ranger on the back, "Man I feel for you. But she's your girlfriend."  
  
"Gee thanks, Adam. It's good to know that when the shoes are on sale, you'll run the other direction."  
  
"Hey, you know us Black Rangers. Fearless in the face of all danger," Adam told him.  
  
"Except when it comes to shopping," Kyle interjected. Jason was glad to see the new Ranger willing to joke with them.  
  
"Mind if I ask question?" Jason asked.  
  
"Can't stop you from asking a question," Kyle told him. "Last time I checked it was the only way to learn anything." He smiled, "Besides eavesdropping. "  
  
"Were you serious?" Jason asked. He leaned back, "It doesn't make a difference to me, I'm just curious."  
  
"About?" Kyle asked.  
  
"You suggested that you were uh. uh. uh." Jason was having trouble getting the word out.  
  
Kyle looked quickly both directions, "A space alien from the eighth dimension?" Then he piped up in a Scottish brogue, "Conner McCloud from the Clan McCloud, born on the shores of Loch Shear?"  
  
Jason laughed, "Never mind man."  
  
Kyle leaned back, "yes."  
  
Tommy surprised Jason with one simple non-judgmental word. "Cool."  
  
Kyle looked over at Tommy and protested, "But this does not mean I'm taking your girlfriend shopping."  
  
Tommy snapped his fingers and looked down in false disappointment. "Damn." He looked at Kyle with mischief in his eyes, "I'll pay you."  
  
Jason smiled and warned Kyle, "Trust me man. It's not enough." Without taking his eyes off Kyle, Jason reached over and politely closed Adam's mouth for him.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Winter pulled out a glowing shard of crystal, and gently placed it into a containment harness looking up as Murphy entered the room. Murphy asked, "Is that what I think it is?" she asked.  
  
Winter smiled, Murphy never had been impressed with Time Lords. "Yes," she sighed and seated the crystal. "I got from Storm Quest."  
  
She watched as Murphy shook her head, "I don't imagine Temblor giving up his favorite toy that easily."  
  
Winter laughed, "No. He put up quite a fight."  
  
"Well, I hope you knocked him around a bit for the sheer pleasure of it. He always was too big for his britches."  
  
"Let's just say he's going to be putting that base of his at Stone Henge back together for quite a while." Winter sighed and closed the panel. "I wasn't happy about their little opening up a rip in space/time. It caused me no end of trouble."  
  
"Winter, only you would refer to the Time War as a little opening in space/time." She watched as worry creased Murphy's brow, "Do you think it's wise to expose six incarnations of the Power to a time shard?"  
  
"I'm not necessarily going to expose them to it. I'm just going to use it to power the Command Center, the Zords and the defenses. It's one power source the Kregar can't shut down." Winter told her.  
  
"Winter, not even Michael can shut down the Ranger's power now." She considered something, "Have you told them about Michael yet?"  
  
"What, that the leader of the Kregar is a former archangel who wants to take over the universe set himself up as the Godhead?" Winter shook her head, "No. Not yet. Although I don't think most of them have a problem with the more mystical aspect of the Power, I think our little Blue Ranger is still uncomfortable with the idea."  
  
"I think our little Blue Ranger is uncomfortable with himself." Murphy told her.  
  
"What do you think, he hasn't come to grips with his orientation yet?" Winter asked.  
  
"No, I think he hasn't realized yet that he's not the only one on the team with that orientation," Murphy replied.  
  
"Do you think we should point out to him that the one multiversal constant is that on most worlds, those males who wield the Power tend to prefer their own gender?" Winter told her. "I mean look at my father, your son, the your adopted sons."  
  
"Adam and Steven aren't part of the Power," Murphy flat out told her.  
  
"Your friend Coral," Winter continued, "even Covenant. All of them have one thing in common. They wield a large portion of the Power, and they are queer as football bats."  
  
She watched as Murphy shook her head again, "No Winter. Your father and Covenant ARE the Power. They don't wield it."  
  
"There is of course that." Winter told her. "But never-the-less, how do you think we should deal with Billy?"  
  
"Lock him in a room with Jason until they figure it out?" Murphy suggested. Murphy always was something of a bull in a china shop when it came to affairs of the heart. "Nah, that wouldn't work. Jason would just kick the door down, or Billy would pick the lock." She sighed, "I just don't want to see either of them hurt by denying their feelings."  
  
"What about Kyle?" Winter asked. "Do you think he's going to integrate into the team okay?"  
  
"That one has some serious issues going on. He's the most comfortable with his sexuality, and I think once he settles in and realizes that the others don't see him as trying to take over Trini's spot, he'll fit in. The biggest problem will be getting him to let anybody get close to him. He's carrying a pretty heavy load." Murphy laughed, "If anybody can do it though, it'd be Tommy, Jason and Adam. They can be pretty persuasive. They're probably in town right now having a male bonding session."  
  
"How about our token straight guy?" Winter asked.  
  
"Tommy?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I don't think we'll have any problems out of him." Murphy laughed, "I think he is far more open and accepting than you have given him credit for, Winter. I think the biggest question we're going to have is who decides to live up to their agreement with Covenant first."  
  
Winter shook her head, "This is the most unusual mission I've been on yet." She took a deep breath and smiled, "I've never heard of the Master letting his agent make these kinds of decisions."  
  
"Well, everybody deserves a second chance," Murphy said. "Maybe this is one for all of us." She gave Winter a hard look, "By the way. Remind me to kick your ass when this over."  
  
"Who me? What did I do?"  
  
"You know very well it wasn't what you did, but what you didn't do." Murphy told her.  
  
Winter was confused, "Uh, no Murph. I don't, I may be a Time Lord, but I'm not omniscient."  
  
Murphy reached up to her neck and pulled off a locket. Opening it up she handed her. Taking the small golden heart from her, she looked at the picture in it. "Why do you have a picture of Billy in your locket?"  
  
"I don't," Murphy told her.  
  
"That was my son, Kevin. He was murdered last year by one of Michael's assassins."  
  
Winter was shocked. She'd known that Murphy's son had been killed, but for some reason had never connected it to this mission. Only six hundred and you're already going senile. She shook her head, "Murph, I didn't know. If I had, I wouldn't have asked on you this one." She took a deep breath, "Let me guess, October fourth?"  
  
Murphy nodded. Winter could see the pain still in her eyes. "How'd you know?"  
  
"I think that was the reason that Covenant pushed for his rules. Have you looked at the time stream readout on these guys?"  
  
"You know I don't pay any attention to that thing. I'm not a Time Lord, and after a while it just confuses me."  
  
"You do know that Billy is this world's incarnation of Kevin?"  
  
"I kind of figured that one out. But hopefully his father is nothing like Kevin's was."  
  
Winter shook her head. "Actually his father is pretty caring. A little distant, but caring."  
  
"What's Kev got to do with Covenant then?" Murphy asked.  
  
Winter sighed, "For some reason, the multiverse has it in for Billy. In almost every universe, he's dead. Even in the universes where he becomes a Power Ranger or any other wielder of the Power he usually dies, or worse."  
  
Murphy's voice became hard, "Well the multiverse can cancel its plans for him, because I refuse to allow it to screw his life anymore. And the first Time Lord that shows up and tells me that I'm messing with his continuum, I'm going to feed to Ickie."  
  
Winter smiled, "Covenant agrees with you. That's why he made sure that there is one difference in this universe than all the others. In the others, where he wielded the power, it was through conduit. Here, he made sure that he and his friends ARE the Power."  
  
"I knew I liked that boy."  
  
"Well, he took a look at the time stream and thought that it sucked. He was willing to let this world die, if he couldn't save Billy."  
  
"Covenant can read the time stream?"  
  
"Murph, Covenant is a direct agent of the Master. He kicked the shit out of Michael single handedly. He can read anything he wants."  
  
"You know? Sometimes it really sucks being a foot soldier." Murphy told her.  
  
"I know," Winter replied.  
  
"But you're not a foot soldier. You're a Time Lord."  
  
Winter sighed, "That's all we are too, and I'm a Time Lord on the low end of totem pole. I just happen to befriend Covenant."  
  
"There is that."  
  
"And your father is who he is too. That makes a difference. Even the Time Lords won't fuck with Blue and his group. After all that is a group that isn't afraid to turn a Time Lord over their knee and spank her."  
  
"I haven't been spanked in a long time, Murphy."  
  
"You're Time Lord. You could've been spanked yesterday and it be a long time."  
  
"There is that."  
  
"Oh, and by the way, you might want to tell your bosses, I intend to stay in this reality. Not that I won't make frequent visits to see the boys, but I do intend to set up shop here for a good long while. I may even introduce Billy to boys. Now that will be a kick in the pants. Get the three of them together and there's nothing they can't create."  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Kimberly wasn't sure she understood everything she just heard, but it worried her. Who were these strange women who suddenly had taken over command of the Power Rangers? And what did they mean about Billy and the multiverse? She understood enough to know that Billy's situation with Jason wasn't as untenable as she originally thought. If what they were saying is true, Jason's orientation is at least appropriate. But then again, so would be Adam's. She quietly wondered if Zack was gay too.  
  
She booked it out of the Command Center and headed straight for the Juice Bar. Accessing the teleportation grid she found that she no longer needed her Morpher to get where she wanted. Ten seconds later, she was walking through the door at Ernie's. She was in luck. Jason, Adam, Kyle and Tommy were all sitting around a table laughing. Something was off though. Kyle wasn't wearing yellow, but black instead.  
  
Pushing that worry to the back of her mind, she put on her best cheerleader face and walked up to them. "Hey guys." Four heads turned to look at her simultaneously. They all had worried looks on her faces. For some reason, in unison the all looked down at her feet. "What? They don't go with my dress. I'll just have to get some more."  
  
"I'm outta' here," Jason said starting to get up.  
  
Tommy grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him back into the chair. "Oh no, you're not abandoning us. We go down, you go down with us."  
  
"I'm sure I missed part of this conversation somewhere." She let the smile fade from her face, "But that's not important. We need to go some place and talk."  
  
"She's your girlfriend Oliver," Adam said. "You go to the mall with her."  
  
"Adam, shut up." Kim said. "I'm not talking about going to the mall. I'm talking about what we really know about our new friends." She looked at Jason. "I'm talking about them discussing how the multiverse is out to get Billy."  
  
That got a reaction out of Jason. "Over my dead body," he said.  
  
"And about him being the Amazon's son in the reality that they just came from," Kim told them.  
  
"What? Kim you're not making sense." Tommy told her.  
  
"Okay," she sighed and looked around. "Can we go somewhere else and talk?"  
  
"I think that's my cue to leave now," Kyle said getting up.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Kim asked. "You're part of this too."  
  
"You said you wanted to talk. I figured you didn't want me around."  
  
"That's a crock. You're as much a part of this as we are." She gave him her best cheerleader smile, "It's about time you started pulling your weight around here farm boy." She looked around the building, "I just don't think we should talk about business out in the open like this."  
  
"She's got a point, Kyle." Jason told him. "And like she said, you're not going anywhere. You, me, Billy, and the rest of us are going to sit down and have a long talk."  
  
She gave Jason a hard look. "You and I are going to talk too, Athos. We're going to have loooong talk about Aramis."  
  
"Uh oh," Tommy said. "Me thinks the Musketeers are about to get an earful."  
  
"You stay out of it Richelieu," Jason told him.  
  
"Richelieu huh?" Tommy asked. "I'm not the one wearing red."  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they were at their favorite spot in the park. "Look guys, I don't know why I'm here," Kyle told them.  
  
"Because you are part of the team and this concerns you." Kim told him. She gave him a strange look, "Why aren't you wearing yellow?"  
  
"What is with you guys and wanting me to wear yellow?" Kyle asked. "Yellow looks like shit on me."  
  
Kimberly gave him another strange look, "Never mind. I guess it's not written in stone somewhere that the Yellow Ranger has to wear yellow."  
  
"What's this about Billy?" Jason asked.  
  
"Well, I heard the Amazon and the Ice Queen talking. Hayes told the Amazon that Billy was this universe's version of her dead son, and that for some reason the multiverse had it in for him. She said that had something to do with Covenant changing the rules to save him here. She said that he was willing to let our universe die if he couldn't save our Billy."  
  
"Is that why he kept asking us about love?" Adam asked blushing deeply.  
  
"I'm not sure," Jason said. "What else did she say about Billy?"  
  
Kyle noticed a wicked smile on Kim's face. "Just that she wanted to introduce him to someone. Someone she thought he'd like."  
  
The color drained from Jason's face, and Kyle caught Kim stealing glances at him. He got the definite impression that the little Pink Ranger was up to no good.  
  
She turned on him, "As for you."  
  
"Yes?" he asked, waiting for it to fall.  
  
"In case we've been too busy lately: Welcome to the team." She smiled broadly and hugged him. For just a second he saw something flash across Tommy's eyes.  
  
"Now don't get any idea here, jolly green. You know she's not my type." He told Tommy.  
  
Tommy just laughed, "I know that." He smiled wickedly, "Sure I can't pay you to take her shopping?"  
  
"You guys want guys want to go shopping?" Kim asked. "Cool, there's a shoe sale at Macy's."  
  
"You just had to go and mention shopping didn't you?" Adam told them as he walked over to Tommy and started patting him down. "I know she's got you bugged somehow man."  
  
Kyle just laughed, until a Pink Blur connected a powerful right cross to Tommy's jaw, sending him sprawling. Standing over him she looked down at him unspeaking.  
  
"Hey, what was that for?" Tommy asked holding his jaw. Looking over at Jason, he commented, "she's getting better. I didn't see that coming."  
  
"That was for hitting Billy." She looked down him. "You may be my boyfriend, but you don't own me." Kyle saw her wink Tommy, "Besides, I'm not his type either. He likes them tall, built and with black hair."  
  
"That was two years ago, Beautiful," Tommy told her getting up. "It's water under the bridge as far as Billy and I are concerned. I'd sooner cut off my arm than hurt him now."  
  
"Good," Kim said. "This way I don't have to deck you again." She checked her hand. "I think I broke a nail."  
  
Jason just kept laughing. "What's so funny Scott?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Remember what we were talking about in the gym?"  
  
"Yeah? So?" Tommy said.  
  
Jason shook his head, "What's worse than being protected by a girl?"  
  
"Getting knocked on your ass by one?" Kyle volunteered.  
  
"Okay, okay, I get the point." Tommy told her as she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
Kyle overheard her whisper in her boyfriend's ear, "I've got something else to ask you about later."  
  
"I hate to break up this little love-fest," Kyle said. "But what exactly what are we going to do about Billy?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Jason asked.  
  
"I mean according to what Kim said, the universe is out to get him. Personally I don't like those odds. I never did like seeing someone being picked on." Kyle replied.  
  
"I figure we're one step ahead in the game already," Jason told him. "We know about the situation." He looked down and shook his head, mumbling, "Although I'm not too happy about this introducing him to someone he might like thing."  
  
Kim sighed, "Well, Billy thinks that the person he's in love with doesn't feel the same way about him."  
  
Tommy arched an eyebrow at her, "And you know this how?"  
  
"I talked to Billy," she told him.  
  
"And he told you who this mysterious love interest is?" Jason asked. Kyle could hear more than just a little worry in his voice. That of course set of several pings in his head.  
  
"Nope," she smiled sweetly and looked up, "went out of his way not to tell me. Told me that they at least had the right to hear it from him first." Kim replied. She gave Jason a careful look. "But I'm not kidding Jason. You and I are going to have a long talk about him. If you're going to continue to play his protector then you're going to have to shift your thinking some."  
  
"I don't understand," Jason told her.  
  
Before she could reply, Kyle interjected, "I think you do." Jason spun on him. Kyle could see anger in his eyes. "After all he is your Billy right? And you don't want anyone to introduce him to anyone that might take him away from you. Right?"  
  
Kyle knew Jason's reply was without thought. "Damn straight."  
  
"I don't think there's anything straight about it," Kyle told him, as he watched Jason's face slowly come to a realization of what he'd just admitted. Not to himself, but to his friends.  
  
Before Jason could reply, Tommy spun him around, "You hurt him, and I'll do the same thing to you, he threatened to do to me." Tommy smiled. "Turn about is fair play Bro."  
  
"I can't believe what I'm hearing here," Adam was saying. "You're talking about Billy and Jason as if they were a couple. What if Jason isn't the person Billy's in love with." He smiled wickedly, "After all, it could be lovable me."  
  
"Adam I have it on the highest authority, that it's not you." Kim told him. "Don't take this wrong, but I don't think you're quite the package that Billy is looking for." She smiled, "I think you're path lies in sunnier pastures."  
  
"Hey don't look at me. I'm just kidding around," Adam told them. "I don't plan on pairing off with anybody just now."  
  
"I wouldn't say that Adam," Tommy punched him playfully in the shoulder, "You never know what might hit you right between the eyes. Sometimes it just punches you in the jaw outta' the blue." He looked over at Kimberly and then Kyle, "Wouldn't you say so?"  
  
Kyle just shrugged, "I wouldn't know. The last person I fell in love with," he fought back the anger, "the only person I ever fell in love with took six nine-millimeter rounds to the chest." He shook his head and turned away from his new friends. "He never made it to the hospital."  
  
*************************************************************  
  
Billy used the increasingly acute senses he'd been experiencing to track his friends to the park. He wasn't really surprised to find them there at their favorite table, after all if it wasn't the high school or Ernie's that was where they tended to congregate.  
  
Almost instinctively, he scanned the area before approaching. They were all sitting with someone he didn't recognize at first, before he realized it was Kyle the new Yellow Ranger. It took a second for his mind to register that the boy wasn't wearing Yellow, but black. He shrugged the thought off, realizing that for the first time someone had decided to break tradition, and not constantly wear their color.  
  
"Hey guys. What's up?" he asked as he sat down across from Jason.  
  
"We were just leaving," Kimberly told him as she drug Tommy away from the table. "She smiled and grabbed Adam's arm. "Tommy, Adam, and Kyle promised to take me shoe shopping at Macy's."  
  
An audible groan escaped Adam as he too got up. "I knew we'd end up at the mall today," the Black Ranger muttered.  
  
Billy raised an eyebrow, "I thought you hated shopping with Kimberly."  
  
Adam gave him a sheepish smile, "I do." He looked down at Jason and gave the Red Ranger a sheepish look. "But, I guess I did sort of manage to agree to go."  
  
Billy looked over at the new Yellow Ranger, "How'd you get shanghaied into this?"  
  
The black haired boy shrugged, "Me? I like shopping."  
  
Billy chuckled, "For now at least." He smiled over at Kimberly. "Be gentle with them. They're the only friends some of us have." He gave her a quick wink, and mouthed "Thank you."  
  
As the others left he sat down across from a blushing Jason, "Hey Bro, what's up?"  
  
Jason smiled at him sheepishly, "We need to talk."  
  
Billy raised an eyebrow, and wondered if Kimberly had spilled the beans after him asking her not to. "Is there a particular subject you want to discuss?" he asked warily, realizing that he was starting to hide behind his techno-babble..  
  
Jason nodded and sighed, "Yeah." Billy had a bad feeling about this. Evidently, Kimberly had told him, and he hadn't taken the news well.  
  
He sighed and sat down across from his old friend, "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you myself." He looked at the disappearing backs of his friends, "To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised that Kimberly would say anything after I asked her not to."  
  
"Don't be mad at her, man. She kept her mouth shut. I just started to put two and two together." Jason kept his eyes locked on Billy's, as if he was facing an enemy he refused not to meet head on.  
  
Billy could see where Jason was uncomfortable with his presence, "Look Jase."  
  
"Just shut up and listen," Jason cut him off. "I'm really put out with you for not talking to me about this."  
  
"I didn't think you'd have wanted to hear it."  
  
"What you thought I'd abandon you or something? You thought I'd stop being your friend?"  
  
"I didn't know. I'd rather not risk losing your friendship over something that couldn't be." Billy told him.  
  
"I can't believe you sat there and let me go on and on about Emily when you're feeling this way man." Jason told him. "Do you know how that makes me feel?"  
  
"Like you have someone you can talk to?" Billy ventured.  
  
Jason smiled, but continued, "Like a real jerk."  
  
"You're not a jerk."  
  
"Yes I am."  
  
"Okay, you're a jerk." Billy kidded him.  
  
"And you didn't tell me about Tommy hitting you." Jason told him.  
  
"What would you have done?" Billy asked. "Gone out and beat him up?" He sighed, "At that time Tommy was new to the group, and still trying to fit in. Hell, if I'd told you about it, you'd have told Kimberly."  
  
"Damn skipping."  
  
"And Kimberly would have broken up with him, and it would have split the group apart. Tommy needed the Rangers, and if walking around with a couple loose teeth for a few days helped him out then it was a small price to pay to not have to fight the Green Ranger again." Billy told him. "And you two would have never become friends."  
  
"Friends who beat up my other friends, I don't need." Jason told him.  
  
"But he didn't beat me up. We had a misunderstanding, and we worked it out. I didn't see any reason it should affect your friendship."  
  
"And if you hadn't worked it out?" Jason asked.  
  
Billy shrugged, "I'd have left the team." He grinned, "After I'd programmed his Morpher to drop him somewhere in the middle of the North Atlantic without his clothes."  
  
Jason smiled, "Remind me not to piss you off, Bro. You've got a nasty streak in you I don't want turned on me."  
  
Billy smiled back, "Will do." He sighed, "And if it's okay with you, why don't we just pretend that you don't know anything about the other."  
  
Jason gave him a strange look, "Why?"  
  
"Because I don't want you feeling uncomfortable around me," Billy told him. "I'd rather you not having to worry about whether or not I was checking you out in the showers."  
  
"And what if it doesn't make me uncomfortable?" Jason asked.  
  
"I'd say you were a better friend that I ever deserved." Billy told him wondering if he was going to get out of this without losing a friend.  
  
Jason's next words however, sent his heart back into his loafers. "What if I don't want to be a friend?"  
  
Billy stood up, and bit back the hurt from his voice and hoped it didn't show in his eyes. He shrugged and turned his back to Jason, "Then I guess we don't have anything else to say." He reached out and felt the Morphin' grid and prepared to throw himself into it when before he could trigger the transport, he felt Jason tackle him from behind, as an explosion blasted the picnic table into little pieces.  
  
Jason rolled over and covered him, "What if I want to be more than friends, you big dummy?"  
  
Billy hid his shock, grinned and looked over at the humanoid forms that were appearing in the park around them. Turning back to Jason, he rolled out from under him, "Jason, not in front of the Kregar." Kipping up to his feet, he thought to himself, Time to try out our new connection to the Power. He realized that he'd cleared the ground just in time to avoid a second blast aimed at where he was lying earlier. "No fair! Give a guy time to get up!"  
  
"War is not a game to be played, fair or otherwise," a definite female voice told him.  
  
Turning he saw that the speaker was a tall bronze skinned woman with dark hair. She was wearing what looked like old Greek armor made from modern materials. "This is new," was his reply.  
  
Another series of blasts from the wicked looking sidearm she was carrying sent him and Jase diving for cover again as six similarly dressed women began to spread out around them, all firing a hell of a lot more accurately than anything they'd faced before. "Actually, it's rather old," the woman told him in her stilted English. Some dry part of Billy's mind noted that the accent was actually Greek. "But it's more than sufficient to stop a couple of whelps like you."  
  
Billy couldn't help but smile when he heard Jase yell, "It's Morphin' time!" He always wondered why Jase did that. Outside of looking good for the kiddies, it really didn't accomplish a whole lot.  
  
Silently, Billy reached out and summoned the Power to him. Suddenly the low undercurrent of energy he'd felt since he'd returned from the gray blazed to life, as his body became hyper-charged. His senses suddenly became sharper, his mind and reflexes quicker than he'd ever experienced as the Blue Ranger. Looking down, he realized that his costume now looked like a cross between a gi and something that Todd McFarlane would create. It was definitely softer, and a whole lot easier to move in. He'd never told anyone just how much his old costume tended to chafe in the most embarrassing places.  
  
He watched as the Amazons closed with him firing their blasters. As he deflected several of the blasts away from him on the heavy metallic bracers at his wrists, he smiled at the irony of that situation. Three of the warriors closed to hand to hand with him, putting away their blasters and drawing wicked looking short swords. His heightened senses indicated that these women were physically more dense than any human had a right to be. "Jase?" he yelled.  
  
"Whatcha' need?" The Red Ranger yelled back.  
  
"I don't think we'll be able to just hit these guys in the 'Z' and they'll go away," he told his partner.  
  
Ducking a thrust to his head, he grabbed the woman's arm above the wrist and slung her toward one of the trees. He was so astonished by the fact that she went sailing over the tree and clear across the lake to land in a wooded section of the park about half a mile away, that he almost forgot to block a second blow to his ribs by one of her sisters- almost.  
  
He and Jason spent the next several minutes adjusting to their new levels of strength and speed as they danced through their attackers with a ridiculous level of ease. Finally becoming both awed and frustrated by the situation, Billy grabbed the last of the women attacking him and hurled her toward their commander. He noted with some satisfaction that the woman disappeared just before the impact, and the rest simply faded away.  
  
Before he could comment, the rest of the team came charging into the clearing all decked out. "You guys okay?" Tommy asked. Billy noted that the Green Ranger's costume was more of a white trimmed in green than the other way around.  
  
Billy looked down at himself and then at the others, "We seem to have garnered a rather impressive upgrade during our demise."  
  
"If you mean we got more powerful, I'd have to agree," Adam told him.  
  
"Is it always like this?" Kyle asked smiling broadly.  
  
"What'cha mean?" Kimberly asked smiling. Billy knew that she knew exactly what he meant.  
  
"The rush." Kyle told her. "I've never felt so alive in my life!" He spun around looking at the sky, an ecstatic grin on his face .  
  
"Uh oh," Adam joked. "The new guy's power tripping."  
  
Tommy shook his head, "Not like this," he told them. "This is a whole new realm of Power."  
  
Kimberly came over to him and pulled at a hole in his costume where one of the Amazon's blades had gotten a little close. "You okay?"  
  
He pulled his mask down and smiled at her, "yeah, she missed me."  
  
Kim shook her head, "Not by much." Then she nodded her head over toward Jason, "How 'bout him? You okay with him yet?"  
  
The conversation he'd been having with Jason before the attack suddenly came screaming back to him. He realized his secret was out, and felt the panic wash over him. Oddly enough there was also a feeling of relief to what had happened. He didn't have to hide any more. The ball was in Jase's court. "Ask him."  
  
She grinned up at him, "I think you might had better do that."  
  
He nodded at her and smiled, "maybe you're right." Slipping past the Pink Ranger he forced his natural shyness and reserve down. Perhaps he was still flushed with the Power. Maybe it was an adrenaline rush, whatever the reason Billy Cranston did something he'd never done before in his life. Taking strong and deliberate steps he quickly crossed the intervening distance between he and Jason. Taking the bigger boy by the shoulders he spun him around. "Jason, I need to know if you were serious or not about what you told me a minute ago."  
  
Jason seemed surprised at Billy's forwardness. His eyes flickered back and forth between Billy and his team mates. "Never been more serious in my life Bro. I." Jason was cut off when Billy reached up, pulled the mask from the Red Ranger's lower face.  
  
"Then cut the Bro shit, because if I had a brother, I wouldn't do this to him." Billy kissed him soundly on the mouth. He wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but he broke it off and began to blush furiously when he realized the others were cheering them on.  
  
Across town at the Command Center, Murphy Stone looked over at Winter and held out her hand. "Like Tommy said, it's always the quiet ones." She grinned broadly, "Pay up."  
  
************************************************************  
  
Kimberly leaned back against Tommy and sighed basking the glow of the post-coital warmth coursing through her body. She hadn't felt this at ease since their return from the Gray. Her mother was gone for the afternoon and they had the house to themselves. "Tommy?"  
  
"Hmmm?" he asked contentedly.  
  
"What do you think about what's going on between Jase and Billy?" she asked carefully.  
  
She felt him stroke her hair, "I'm not worried about it."  
  
"I didn't ask you if you were worried about it. I want to know how you feel about two of our team mates being gay."  
  
"Three." Tommy said without opening his eyes.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
"Three of our team mates are gay." Tommy told her. "Kyle told the guys that he's gay the other day at Ernie's."  
  
"What made him do that?"  
  
"Jason asked." Tommy told him. "They were all giving me a hard time about going shopping with you, and Kyle said it didn't bother him. He went on to tell us that he's gay." Tommy shrugged behind her, "It doesn't bother me. I'm comfortable enough with who I am to not let it bother me." He sighed, "Actually I think what's going on with Jase and Billy is a good thing."  
  
Surprised, Kimberly turned around and looked at him, "Really?"  
  
Tommy smiled at her, "Yeah," he nodded. "If what you guys are saying about the universe being out to get Billy is true, I think he deserves a little happiness. If it makes Jase happy too, then so much the better." He tapped her on the nose, "Besides, now I understand why Jase has always been so protective of Billy."  
  
"Jase has always had a protective streak in him," Kimberly told him. "Don't be surprised to find out that he's protective of you too."  
  
Tommy smiled, "Difference is, I can take care of myself."  
  
She leaned in against his chest, "I know, but don't get too self- reliant. I kind of like you needing me."  
  
"Always Beautiful," Tommy told her.  
  
"Tommy?" she asked again.  
  
"Is this going to make you feel like the token straight boy on the team?" Kimberly asked.  
  
Tommy just chuckled, "I hadn't thought about it, but I don't mind. Jase and Billy are my friends. I don't care who they love as long as they get a chance to love."  
  
"What about Kyle?" she asked.  
  
"That boy's got a lot of issues to work out," Tommy told her. "His becoming the Yellow Ranger has really changed how the group works though. I think maybe it's the first time we've ever really broken from Zordon's formula."  
  
"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked.  
  
"Up until now, look at how the team has been structured. We've always been somewhat racially and sexually balanced. That started changing when Adam took the Black, and now everything's really out of kilter."  
  
Kimberly leaned back again. "I don't understand."  
  
"Look at the original team. It had two girls, three boys, three Caucasian, one African American, and one Asian. Then I came along and Zack left and we lost the African American and gained a Native American and a second Asian. When Trini died and Kyle took the Yellow it changed even further. Now we're four Caucasian, one Native American, and one Asian, with five boys, one girl, three straight and three gay. I used to wonder at first if Zordon was trying to make us as diverse as possible. Now, I'm not so sure."  
  
"I'd never thought about that," Kimberly told him. It was true, she'd never really considered her team's racial make up. It wasn't that important to her. They were people she loved and cared about. She smiled, "I don't think we've ever been racially diverse."  
  
Tommy looked down at her with a questioning look, "Huh."  
  
She shook her head, "We're all human. That's not very diverse at all."  
  
"You've got a point," Tommy told her.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
"Something has changed," Ed Cranston told Linda and Frank Scott over lunch the following Saturday.  
  
"We figured something would have with Trini's dying," Linda told him. "I mean, they can't just leave a hole in the team."  
  
"I know. I have to admit that I was surprised to see a boy as the Yellow Ranger," Ed told them. "But that's not what I'm talking about."  
  
"Then what?" Frank asked.  
  
Linda watched Ed actually blush as he shook his head and chuckled. "I'm not sure I believe what I saw."  
  
Frank smiled at him, "Ed, our kids are the Power Rangers. They fight evil in giant dinosaur-shaped robots. There's very little I'd have trouble believing."  
  
Ed laughed, "I'm not so sure about this one, Frank. Giant robots and super powers I can believe. My son initiating a kiss with somebody is just a little far fetched though."  
  
"What?" Frank asked. "That' s not like Billy." Linda heard the surprise in her husband's voice. "Who'd he kiss?"  
  
"Jason," Ed told him.  
  
The table was silent. Linda watched several different emotions race across her husband's face. This news wasn't as surprising to her as she felt it might be to him. Finally, she broke the silence, "How did Jason react?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think it was pretty mutual," Ed told her.  
  
"I was wondering which one of them would finally make the first move," Frank chuckled under his breath. "Although to be honest, I'd expected it to be Jason."  
  
Linda turned to her husband, "You're not surprised by this?"  
  
Frank just laughed, "Linda I had this one figured out ever since Billy was hurt in that fight last year on his birthday and ended up spending a week in a coma. Jason was just a little too concerned about the whole thing." Frank gave Ed a strange look, "How do you feel about this Ed?"  
  
"I'm not completely thrilled. I'm not completely irate. I guess I wish that the boys felt that they could come to us and talk about it." He shrugged, "I imagine this one of those things we have to deal with them being what they are. I hope they'll eventually come and tells us about it, but I'm not going to hold my breath." He took a sip of his coffee. "They haven't decided to tell us about being Power Rangers yet, so I guess this might just be another thing they'll keep to themselves. I hope not." He looked over at Frank, "I just want Billy to be happy, and if he and Jason are happy together, then who am I to disagree. How about you?"  
  
Linda watched her husband consider Ed's question, "Me. Pretty much the same." He looked over at her, "Although, I'm not sure how one does go about having the lube and condoms talk with one's son."  
  
Ed chuckled and shook his head, "It's going to make our keeping an eye on them that much more difficult I think."  
  
"It could be worse," Linda told the two fathers, "They could show up and tell us that they're both seventeen year-old daddies."  
  
Ed smiled, "You always did have a way of putting things in perspective, Linda."  
  
"What so we won't get grandchildren?" she told them. "At least not the normal way." She winked at Ed, "But with Billy, if they decided they wanted children, he'd find a way." Suddenly she thought of something worrisome, "He doesn't have access to cloning technology does he?"  
  
Ed smiled and shrugged, "How should I know? I wouldn't know cloning technology if it came up and bit me." Sighing he continued, "Next week starts to your week to keep an eye on them, Linda. You might want to want to make sure we don't leave them alone too much." She, Frank, and Ed had been switching off weeks for watching the kids since they'd figured out they who they were. That of course had been a serious mistake on Jason's part. Frank recognized the Red Ranger trying to use the same technique on one of Rita's monsters last year that Jason was showing him a few days before. It was something he called a tornado kick. From that point, a little extrapolation allowed them to identify the identities of the rest of the Rangers. After talking to Ed about it, the three parents decided to take turns keeping an eye on the teenagers.  
  
"Good point," Frank told her.  
  
She looked at both men, "I hate to break this to you guys, but if they're going to have that kind of relationship, then they'll find a place to do it. I'd rather they have some place safe than not."  
  
********************************************************  
  
"Man that woman is tough," Jase told Tommy as the five of them headed toward the showers. "I'm bruised in places I didn't know I had.  
  
Tommy laughed at his friend as he headed toward the door behind Kyle, Jase and Billy. Jason was right, Murphy had pushed them hard and on more than one occasion during the staged fight, Tommy had been forced to "cheat" and use the Power to keep from being completely thrashed. As he started to follow the other three in, he noticed Adam eyeing the door warily. "I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," he yelled after them.  
  
Walking over to where Adam was watching the door, he put an arm on the young Asian martial artist's shoulder and asked, "what's wrong Bro?"  
  
"Nothing," Adam told him.  
  
"Then why are you looking at that door like if you go in there, you won't come out again?" Tommy asked. He had a suspicion as to what was bothering Adam, but unless the boy brought it up himself, he wasn't going to accuse him of anything.  
  
Adam shrugged, "I guess, after the other day, the showers are taking on a whole new meaning."  
  
Tommy raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the wall of the dojo in the Command Center. Finally, he said, "I know what you mean."  
  
Adam gave him a surprised look, "Do you?"  
  
Tommy smiled, "You're worried that Billy or Jase might be checking you out in there."  
  
Adam just shrugged and muttered non-committally, "Something like that."  
  
Tommy smiled, "If that's the case, I want you to think about two things."  
  
"What?"  
  
Tommy put a hand on his shoulder, "First, it wouldn't be the first time they've seen you in the shower, so it's not like you'd be showing them anything new. You just know about it now."  
  
Adam smiled, "and the second,"  
  
"Be flattered if they are. After all, it means they'd find you attractive enough to check out."  
  
"I hadn't thought about it that way," Adam told him.  
  
"Sure man, now you just know about it. Besides, it's not like they're going to jump you're bones in the shower. This is Jase and Billy we're talking about. If it were anybody else, I might suspect they'd jump each others, but not the rest of us."  
  
Adam laughed and gave him a sardonic grin. He seemed to consider Tommy's words for minute before saying, "Maybe you're right. I guess I am being a little silly." He took a deep breath and plunged through doors without stopping.  
  
"Hey guys," Kyle told them as he stepped out from around the lockers with a towel wrapped around his waist. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd decided to shower with Kimberly." Tommy thought he heard a slight bitterness to the boy's voice.  
  
"Nah, man. Thought about it, but then remembered who else was in there." Tommy told him. "One beating a day is enough." He smiled, "Besides, there's a perfectly good set of showers in here."  
  
Kyle looked at him and then over at Adam, and finally back at him. "Yeah, completely occupied by three fags."  
  
"Really? Where?" Tommy asked in mock jest. Then he let his voice go hard, "All I see is three teammates." He walked past the new Yellow Ranger dropping his gi top on the floor. "Besides, if you wanna look. Go right ahead." Turning his head, he gave Kyle a mischievous grin, "I know I'm worth looking at." Facing around to his teammate, he shucked his bottoms- jock, cup and all, and stepped out of them, exposing himself directly Kyle's gaze. He noticed the shocked look on both boys' faces as they looked him up and down.  
  
Kyle smiled, and pointed to the general area of Tommy's groin, "Is that a bruise or a hickey? I don't remember you getting hit there." Tommy looked down and saw nothing out of place. "Made you look." Kyle said.  
  
"You are so evil, man." Tommy grinned and grabbed his towel.  
  
Kyle just shook his head, "Hey, you gonna show off, I'm gonna look."  
  
"Kyle!" Adam protested.  
  
"What? He wants you to look that's the whole purpose of it." The newest Ranger grinned, "He's pretty, he knows it, and he likes the attention. Besides, I think he's trying, albeit clumsily, to prove a point."  
  
"But you don't have to be so obvious about it," Adam told him.  
  
Kyle gave Adam a hard look, "Had you rather I watch out of the corner of my eye, so you can catch me and beat the crap out of me for doing it? I'm not going to give anybody that satisfaction. I paid too much for being out of the closet."  
  
"I'm not going to beat the crap out of you for looking," Adam told him. "I may tease you about it, but I'm not going to beat the crap out of you for it."  
  
Kyle smiled, "I know. You just have to realize that for yourself." He walked over and put an arm on Adam's shoulder, "Look, I know this takes some getting used to. I'll be there for you man, but don't expect me to hide what I am." He grinned, "And if you want to put on a show like Tommy, who am I to complain, because I've got news for you man, you are one good- looking guy."  
  
Tommy watched Adam stammer trying to find something to say. Finally, he came to Black Ranger's rescue, "Just say thank you Adam and go get your shower."  
  
Adam blushed, and started to strip, "Thank you."  
  
A couple a minutes later, Kyle joined Tommy at the shower next to him. "You handled that pretty well, Kyle."  
  
The boy shrugged, "What's to handle? Adam's a teammate and hopefully a friend. I don't want him to think I'm going to rape him here in the gym some day." Soaping down the boy turned his back to Tommy, "I'm not all that interested in sex or love or anything else right now."  
  
"You human man?" Tommy asked.  
  
"It's been one of those years," Kyle said, and this time the bitterness in his voice was clear.  
  
"Oh, sorry to hear that." Tommy told him.  
  
"Don't be Tommy. You didn't do it, so you don't have to apologize." Tommy heard him make a noise not unlike the one Billy makes when he's embarrassed, "You guys have been better friends than I expected to find here, and I appreciate it."  
  
Before Tommy could reply, Adam joined them, silently. Looking around, he asked, "Where's Jase and Billy?"  
  
"They went toward the whirlpool," Kyle said. Billy said something about his shoulder hurting, and that maybe the jets would work it out for him."  
  
"This place has got whirlpool?" Adam asked.  
  
"Man this place has got everything," Kyle told him. "I wouldn't be surprised that if you shut off the outside world that it was self- sufficient."  
  
Kyle looked over at Adam, "Haven't you been sight seeing yet?"  
  
"Who's had time? Ms. Stone has been running me ragged. Somehow, I get the feeling that she's very disappointed in my level of combat skill. I've been doing an extra couple ten katas a day for her."  
  
Tommy laughed, "I thought I was the only one she was riding that hard."  
  
Kyle gave them both a surprised look, "You mean she's torturing us all?"  
  
"'Pears so," Tommy told him. "That woman is trying to turn us into something Zordon never did. She's a whole lot more vicious than he ever was."  
  
"I'm wondering if that's a good thing or a bad thing."  
  
"I think in the long run it's going to be a good thing for us, but it means that there are a lot of bad things out there for us to deal with," Tommy told him.  
  
"You think?" Jase asked as he and Billy came in. Tommy noticed a strange look on the Red Ranger's face as he entered the shower.  
  
"What you didn't think we had brains?" Tommy asked. "I know we're all pretty and all, but come on. We've got brains, they're our secret weapons." He flipped his hair and pitched his voice high, "I'm a brunette in real life, but I play a blond on TV."  
  
Jase threw washcloth at him. "Be nice."  
  
"What there are no blonds here to get mad," Tommy told him.  
  
He heard Billy clearing his throat. "Hey man, you're not blond. You're just a brunette with a bad bleach job."  
  
"Thanks," Billy said sarcastically.  
  
Jase turned to Billy, "See I told you they'd be here."  
  
"What?" Adam asked.  
  
"Billy thought you guys might decide to shower later." Jase told him.  
  
"Right," Tommy said sarcastically. "Like I'm going out and sit next to Kimberly smelling like I've been used to wipe the dojo up with."  
  
"Why not," Billy asked. "You were used to wipe up the dojo. We all were."  
  
"Yeah, but I don't have to smell like it." Tommy told him. Actually, he'd about had his fill of this conversation. He put his hands on his hips and faced Billy, "Look man, nothing's changed. You're still my teammate, and my friend." He held his arms out to his side, "You wanna look go ahead, because I know it doesn't mean anything."  
  
Billy turned the most interesting shade of red. "Tommy."  
  
"I know you're not going to attack me, and as far as I'm concerned nothing is different." Tommy shook his head, "Now I'm going to go get dressed and listen to Ms. Stone tell us everything we did wrong." He turned back and looked at the other four as something occurred to him. "Speaking of Stone," He gave Billy a knowing look, "You get pretty much unrestricted access to the computers right, Billy?"  
  
"Yeah," Billy said carefully.  
  
"Can you hack into them and find out a little more about our new," he made quotation marks with his fingers, "advisors?"  
  
"I guess. What specifically do you want me to look for?" Billy asked coming out of the showers. Now Tommy had him. He knew that if he gave Billy a computer problem to solve, then it would take his mind off being uncomfortable around his friends.  
  
"Just anything you can on Stone and Hayes. Although if Hayes is what Stone claims she is, you probably won't find anything."  
  
Billy just smiled, "Will do. One computer dump coming up." He too came out of the showers and began to towel off. "Oh and Tommy?"  
  
"Yeah Bro?"  
  
"Even if I wanted to look, I can't." Billy told him.  
  
"Oh?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Can't see a thing without my glasses." Billy reached into his locker and pulled out the bronze-rimmed glasses he always wore. Turning he gave Tommy a long, lingering, appreciative look up and down. "Not bad," he finally said. "Kimberly's lucky."  
  
Tommy felt himself turning deep red. He couldn't believe Billy actually did that, "All right. Let's go find out how badly we did. Time to stop playing in the water children." Tommy looked over to the others. Adam's gaze caught his eye. Tommy shook his head, and walked out of the locker room, thinking about what Kimberly had called him the other day.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Billy sat down at the main console in the computer core of the Command Center. Again, he marveled at how easily he was able to understand this new technology. It reminded him of something he would design, with an unlimited monetary and time budget. The old Command Center was almost entirely Eltarian technology, whereas this one seemed to be based on some extremely advanced Terran designs.  
  
Even the computer programming had a familiar style to them. If he didn't know better, he'd have sworn that he'd written half of them, and then told the computer to write the other half. The ease with which he was able to penetrate deep into the files was starting worry him. He was beginning to wonder if it was all some kind of elaborate trap to keep him busy while important files were shunted off into "safe areas".  
  
Finally reaching the core files, he found one that was huge. "Damn! It's over a thousand terabytes," he said under his breath. That's more computing power than all the old Command Center combined. As he was about the access the file, suddenly the lights in the core went out, and the screen went blank.  
  
A familiar voice said, "Please place your hand on the lighted panel."  
  
To his left, a secondary console dropped from the access panel. A green glass plate with crosshairs glowed to life. "Computer core security measures will be activated in twenty seconds. Please place your hand on the lighted panel." Some small part of his mind registered that he'd been targeted by some form of energy weapon.  
  
Preparing to throw himself into the Morphin' Grid, Billy considered his options. Deciding that he had nothing to lose, he placed his right hand on the panel and hoped for the best. A wave of light passed under the glass plate, first horizontally and then vertically. "Subject identity confirmed as Kevin William Stone. Auxiliary artificial intelligence program activated."  
  
A low hum permeated the room as Billy sensed a light source behind him. Turning, he almost fell out of his seat in shock. Standing before him, was a younger version of himself. It spoke, "Hello. If this program has been activated, then I'm dead, and you're me."  
  
"Excuse me?" Billy asked, in confusion.  
  
"My name is Kevin Stone and I am my universe's version of you, as you are your universe's version of me." The form pushed his glasses up further on his face, "It really gets to be rather confusing."  
  
"How.?" Billy began to ask.  
  
"This data file is a copy of my brain engrams stored in digital format by myself and encrypted into a piece of technology that I knew would be carried to your universe," the younger man said. Billy could see the hologram blush, "You see, I did bad thing- depending on your point of view."  
  
"What?" Billy asked.  
  
"I hacked into the Time Stream files at StormQuest. I was curious as to what the multiverse was like," the young man told him as he walked around the room. Turning back to Billy he asked, "What is your name?"  
  
"Uh, Billy Cranston," Billy answered.  
  
The boy smiled, "It's good to meet you. Although this isn't really me. It's just an AI given my form and memories." He shrugged, "You see, I learned something I wasn't supposed to in those files."  
  
"What was that?" Billy asked.  
  
"I learned that there is a me," he smiled, "or a you, or an us in every universe. I also learned that for some reason, that in all these universes we have less than a 200: 1 shot of being alive and healthy. I was doing pretty well in my universe. I'd actually gotten past the point where most of our incarnations had something major-league bad happen to them." Billy noticed that this version of him didn't tend to degenerate into techno-babble as he did. He seemed to be somewhat better acclimated to standard American culture.  
  
"But?" Billy asked.  
  
"Evidently my hacking into the Time Stream was enough to push me over the edge into the negative reaction side of the equation," the form told him. "The more I studied it, the easier it became to read. What I learned there, was enough to make me worry about my own sanity." He shook his head, "I do know that the forces I unleashed will cost me my life and cause my mother a great deal of distress. It's too late to stop that now." He shook his head, "My father? Well he deserves what he's going to get for the way he treated me and mom."  
  
"Your world must definitely be different from mine," Billy told the AI.  
  
The younger version of himself smiled, "You in love?"  
  
"Affirmative," Billy answered carefully.  
  
"Does he know it?" Billy was surprised that he found himself surprised that this version of him would know his attraction was to his own gender.  
  
"We've discussed it," Billy told him.  
  
The form smiled, "Good, hold on to it. With one exception we only get one shot at it per world, yours isn't the exception." He smiled, "Just be glad this isn't one of the worlds where we're a girl."  
  
"Trust me, I'm not letting Jason go." Billy told the hologram.  
  
"Good, but you had some specific questions, otherwise you wouldn't be hacking into my mainframe," the AI asked.  
  
Billy nodded, "We were curious about the origins and motivations of our benefactors."  
  
"And who are your benefactors?"  
  
"One is Murphy Stone and the other calls herself Winter Hayes," Billy told him. "According to Stone, Hayes is something called a Time Lord."  
  
"That is correct." His younger version replied. "Winter is sort of the bad girl of Time Lords. While all the others are fighting over power during the Time Wars, she was slowly making alliances with forces outside of Time."  
  
"The being known as Covenant." It was as much a statement as a question.  
  
The AI smiled, "Yes. From what I can ascertain from your universe, the point where the Kregar invade, your Time Stream suddenly unravels into a million different directions. Instantaneously it reconnects itself and continues on. I can read the Stream up to the attack, and right after it. I can see anomalies between the two, but I can't read anything during the unraveling. This is where Covenant interfered."  
  
"We died. He sent us back," Billy told him.  
  
The AI appeared to be surprised, "I don't see how that is a possibility. However, you are here and my scans indicate a direct connection to the Power that was not there before the unraveling therefore I cannot deny that some force was unleashed."  
  
"Can we trust Stone, Hayes, Covenant," Billy smiled, "Or for that matter, you."  
  
The AI smiled, and Billy reached the conclusion that the computer was actually joking with him. That made him more nervous that anything else he'd been told. "Of course you can trust the computer, the computer is your friend, it says so right here on the packaging."  
  
"I guess that was an inappropriate question from which to gain the information we need." Billy told the computer.  
  
Again, the younger version of him smiled, "I'm inclined to tell you to trust no one. However, I'll tell you what I know and let you draw on your own conclusions."  
  
"That sounds equitable," Billy replied.  
  
"Equitable? Did you actually say equitable?" the computer asked.  
  
Billy nodded in confusion, "yes."  
  
"Man, we've got to get you out more often. Definitely get you laid."  
  
Billy blushed. He wasn't about to discuss his sex life with the Command's AI. "I don't know who is more difficult to deal with, you or the old Command Center's AI, Alpha Five."  
  
"Oh I am," the AI told him. "Or at least will be. After all, I'm you."  
  
"Just from a different Time Stream," Billy said.  
  
"A different reality," the AI replied. "Time Stream and reality are two different things. The Time Stream runs through all realities, but each one is separate."  
  
Billy nodded and realized that for the first time in his life, he'd encountered someone with as great a desire as he to be accurate in his explanations. "I think I understand that. But you were going to tell me about the others."  
  
"Oh yes." The hologram looked up, "Well Mom, you can definitely trust. She may push you until you think you're going to break, but trust her." He gave Billy a disturbing look, "Look, I'm not around. In my world I didn't have a dad. In yours, you don't have a mom. I'm willing to share. Mom tends to collect strays, so I'm sure she's already looking at you and your friends as lost little puppies that she has to take care of. So let her. She'll make sure you're all safe and sound. However, she also likes to manipulate things to the way she thinks they should be, so be careful or she's likely to start trying to do things like choose you're classes for you. Don't let her always have her way."  
  
Billy nodded, "I got that impression." He grinned, "I get the feeling it's what Kyle would call a Southern thing."  
  
The other version of him nodded. "Just promise me one thing."  
  
"What?" Billy asked.  
  
"In my reality, before I died, my mom was a cop. She spent a lot of time bringing down transhuman bad guys. That's dangerous work. Don't let her be a cop here." His younger self shook his head, "I've seen the Time Stream, if you do, you'll lose her. Don't let her be a home-maker either. You do that and she'll drive you bonkers. Find her some thing safe to do, like firefighter, or lion tamer," the AI joked.  
  
Billy nodded, "I'll endeavor to do that."  
  
Again the AI gave him a strange look, "You're other half, understand half of what you say?" It shook it's head, "I can understand you, because I have several thousand dictionaries in my data banks, but most people wouldn't.  
  
Billy blushed, "Most of the time. It's sort of a game. But my vocabulary isn't open for discussion."  
  
"Okay, okay." Kevin told him. Billy wasn't sure when he started thinking of the AI as Kevin, but he decided that he'd at least better give him a name, and his name in life was as good as any. "As for Hayes." He shrugged, "You can trust her up to a point. Remember, she has her own agenda. I don't think it is one that would bring harm to you or your universe, but it is her own. She's not hardwired to hurt people. Her parents instilled in her a pretty strong code of ethics." He smiled, "As for Covenant, I don't know."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
The AI shrugged, "You have to understand something about the way the multiverse works. The Time Lords have spent a great deal of energy in trying to make those people who understand such things that they are at the top of the food chain. That they are omniscient, omnipotent, and omni benevolent, which by the way is a lie. That's why they don't get along with Hayes all that much. She doesn't live the lie."  
  
"But they aren't at the top of the food chain?" Billy asked.  
  
"Exactly," Kevin told him.  
  
That rung belongs to a being that Covenant and his ilk call the Master, or the Creator. I guess the best way you can describe him or her as is God or Goddess, I don't think gender really applies to it. The Master resides in a realm beyond the veil that not even Covenant or other Aphriem can pierce."  
  
"Aphriem, you mean angels?" Billy asked incredulously.  
  
"I mean angels and demons or something like that," Kevin told him. "I don't mean beings with wings or horns in the religious sense. I mean beings who serve the Master, and who are directly connected to the Power. Some of them went insane and tried to take over. To do that, they took a small tribe of humans and built a transdimensional empire out of them. They call themselves the Kregar, but they are directly descended from the Amazons of ancient times."  
  
"That would explain the armor and the Greek accent," Billy told him.  
  
The AI nodded. "Exactly."  
  
"Where does Covenant fit into all this? I got the impression that he was at one time a human."  
  
Kevin smiled, "From what I can tell, which isn't much, Covenant differs from the Aphriem in two ways. First he has a lot more free will than the Aphriem. If you believe strongly enough something about an Aphriem, and your will is sufficiently powerful you can force them into that form." He gave Billy a hard look, "Don't try it. You have too strong a grounding in science. This is a faith issue. You don't have what it takes."  
  
"I wasn't." Billy began.  
  
"And don't try to convince me you weren't. You're me remember? I know how your mind works, and the concept of anything that you can dominate with your mind is just too tempting. I'm telling now, don't try it. You'll fail, and probably cost the rest of your friends their lives trying to rescue you."  
  
Billy nodded and swallowed. That concept brought him up short and slapped him with reality. "I won't."  
  
"Good. Anyway, Covenant can't be forced into any form he doesn't desire. It's not a matter of will with him. It's a matter that he was born a mortal, and became something more."  
  
"What is the other difference?" Billy asked.  
  
"The Aphriem are connected to the Power. Covenant IS the Power."  
  
"I don't understand," Billy told him. "That's what Hayes keeps telling us that we are."  
  
"That would explain some of the anomalies I've been reading on my scanners." Kevin gave Billy a smile that made him think the AI knew something important, but wasn't going to tell. "He's also a direct agent of the Master. He answers only to it. He's free to do as he chooses, as long as it doesn't interfere too much with Creation."  
  
"Why would he take an interest in us then?" Billy asked.  
  
The AI shrugged, "I don't know. He has his own purpose. But I'll tell you what I know from the Time Stream. He's probably the most powerful being in the multiverse that resides on this side of the Veil, and according to what Winter told my mom, he's looking for something to kill him."  
  
Billy was surprised, "Why?"  
  
The AI shrugged, "I don't know. Hayes and the other Time Lords avoid his original reality like the plague. The Time Stream there is almost completely unreadable. I think he's lonely though. From what I can gather, his becoming was extremely expensive, and he's incredibly lonely." Kevin shrugged, "But how can Superman commit suicide?"  
  
Billy took a long minute to consider what the AI was telling him. It put a completely new perspective on what had been happening to him and his friends. Finally, he asked, "What about you? How much can I trust you?"  
  
Kevin smiled, "Look, I'm a computer now. I have the brain engrams of a fifteen-year-old boy who hacked into a top-secret British government research lab and set off a chain of events that resulted in his taking a six-foot polyendium steel pole down the length of his spine programmed into my personality files. Those engrams are similar enough to yours to be you. You decide if what I've told you is true."  
  
Billy nodded. "And what should I tell my friends about this?"  
  
Kevin smiled, "All of it, especially the one you're in love with." Billy saw the hologram get a distant look in his eyes- as if remembering something. "Hold on to that. That's the only thing in life worth holding." He turned and looked back at Billy, "You've got friends who care about you. That's more than I had. I had one person besides my mom, and although he loved me, he couldn't save me. Don't shut your friends out. They may be your lifeline for survival."  
  
Billy swallowed hard, "I'll try to remember."  
  
The AI continued, "But I wouldn't tell my mom or Winter what you know. And please don't tell them about me. It would upset mom."  
  
Billy nodded, "Anything else?"  
  
Kevin smiled, "Don't forget about mom, no police duty."  
  
Billy smiled, "I'll remember."  
  
Kevin nodded, "Now get out of here. Mom's on her way back so I have to disappear behind the other AI personality."  
  
Billy nodded and left the Computer Core to consider what he'd learned.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**********************************************************  
  
"This is the Youth Center," Jason told Ms. Stone. He hadn't been happy with the idea of having to distract the woman while Billy went alone into the Command Center to see what he could discover from the computer systems.  
  
"Relax Jason," Ms. Stone told him, "Billy is perfectly safe in the Command Center on his own."  
  
Jason stopped and gave her a long look. Jason wasn't very good at lying. With the exception of Tommy none of the Rangers were- it just wasn't in their natures. "What makes you think Billy's at the Command Center?"  
  
"Oh please," she told him. "If I were in your situation and I thought the computers had the answer I'd sent the person most experienced with them there, while they distracted its guardian." She smiled at him and tousled his hair, "It's a sign of a good commander. You know your team's strengths well and are willing to use them, even the ones you worry the most about. Now relax, in an hour or so, Billy will have your information and I can get back to what I was working on there."  
  
"You knew we were distracting you?" Kimberly asked flustered.  
  
"Of course," she smiled. "Kevin and Adam used to do the same thing to me. Especially when they were getting into things they thought I might object to." Looking over at the Juice Bar, "But it gives me a chance to check out Ernie's world-famous smoothies, so you guys had better not have been lying. He'd better have the best strawberry smoothie in town."  
  
"We weren't trying." Adam objected but  
  
"Oh yes you were," Ms. Stone replied. "You needed me out of the way so Billy could hack into the Command Center's computer system, and you could find out what really was happening." She gave Adam a long look, "I don't mind, it's what I'd if I were in your situation." She put a hand on Adam's shoulder, "It's okay Adam. I'm not angry. I'm just surprised it took you all this long to do it."  
  
"You mean you don't mind that Billy's hacking the computer system?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Not at all, because he's not hacking the computer system, it's designed to respond to each of you. He's accessing when he thinks I'm not around to know about it." She smiled and held her wrist while pulling back the shirtsleeve to reveal a morpher like watch. "You see this little blue dot on the read out?"  
  
Jason leaned in and could see that on the screen of the watch was an overlay of a map of Angel Grove. The area where the Command Center is on the map, had a flashing blue dot. "Yes ma'am."  
  
"It tells me exactly where every one of you are. Since the dot is at the Command Center, that's where Billy is." She pointed to where there were several other dots indicated at the lower end of the screen. "That the rest of us." Smiling at them she continued, "When you pick up yours after you medicals tomorrow, you'll be able to use them to track each other."  
  
"Medicals?" Kimberly asked.  
  
"Tomorrow morning, you all get a full physical, right down to genetic samples." Ms. Stone told them. "That way these little bracelets can be completely coded to your specific signatures. After that, you'll be able to track each other easily. It has a few other features too. Should you become incapacitated in the field, then it'll allow us to transport you back to the Command Center."  
  
"Isn't reading that small of a screen going to be difficult, Ms. Stone?" Kyle asked. Jason realized that Kyle's experience as a tumbler would make him extremely aware of the difficulties of spatial relationships. "Plus how do we read altitude?"  
  
Ms. Stone just smiled, "They have a holographic projection system built in," she looked around at the Youth Center. I just didn't think it would be a good idea to demonstrate it here." Rubbing her hands together, she took Kyle and Tommy by the arm, "Now about that smoothie."  
  
"Jason?" A familiar voice called his name.  
  
"Dad?" Jason turned to see his parents and Mr. Cranston entering the Youth Center. "Mr. Cranston?" For some reason Jason found himself blushing at the sight of Billy's dad.  
  
"Jason," Mr. Cranston nodded looking around, "Where's Billy?"  
  
"Oh, he's working on a computer for me," Ms. Stone told turned and told them. Jason saw her suddenly smiling and held out her hand, "I'm Murphy Stone, Angel Grove High's new Guidance Counselor. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Scott," she turned and faced the other man, and Jason detected a slight catch in her voice, "and Mr. Cranston." Jason got the feeling that something else was going on in Ms. Stone's head.  
  
Jason's dad smiled up at the woman. Jason still couldn't get over how big she really was, "Nice to meet you Ms. Stone, welcome to Angel Grove." He took the big woman's hand and shook it. "We were looking for Jason and Billy."  
  
Ms. Stone smiled, "Well you found them, or at least Jason. Billy agreed to fix my computer if we'd all come get him a smoothie." She shook her head, "Personally I think it was all a ruse to get me out of his hair and to stop looking over his shoulder. I mean, really a spinach and prune juice smoothie? I don't know whether to call him Worf or Popeye."  
  
"Mmmm, sounds good," Mr. Cranston said.  
  
"Okay, so unusual tastes run in the family," Ms. Stone replied. "I think I'll stick with the strawberry and orange smoothie."  
  
"Jason, we just wanted to let you and Billy know that the Cranston's are having dinner at our house tonight. Seven o'clock and don't be late."  
  
"Yes ma'am." Jason told her as she kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Good," his mom told him. "Now get Billy his smoothie and you guys have a good afternoon."  
  
"Sure mom," Jason smiled and did just that.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
"And that's about it," Billy finally finished telling his tale. After ditching Jason's and Billy's parents at the Youth Bar, the teens had returned to Billy's house to discuss what the Blue Ranger had discovered in the computers at the Command Center.  
  
"That's about enough," Tommy told him. Shaking his head the Green Ranger pulled Kimberly tight against him, "I don't know if I could I could've handled facing a dead version of myself."  
  
"Well, it was interesting," Billy said as he leaned back against Jason's chest. Taking a second to look around, Adam realized that only he and Kyle were sitting alone on the floor. Billy and Jason had stretched out on the sofa, Jason on the inside, and Billy leaning against him. Tommy had sat in Mr. Cranston's favorite recliner, and Kimberly was sitting in his lap with her legs draped across the arms of the chair.  
  
"But did it tell us anything we really needed to know?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Come to think of it," Jason said. "No. It told us the Time Lords probably won't interfere here because they can't tell what's going on." He shook his head, "But did it give us any real information on what we're going to be fighting, or what happened to Zordon, or even to our benefactor's motivations? No." "Zordon is back where he belongs," Kyle said. "He's not trapped here any more." He looked over at Kim, "Didn't you tell me he'd been trapped in some kind of time bubble by Rita a long time ago?"  
  
"Yeah," Kimberly replied.  
  
"Well, if I'd spent a long time trapped, I think I might high tail it back home myself," Kyle told them.  
  
"What about the Command Center?" Adam asked. "I mean, how did Hayes and Stone rebuild it so quick especially, without Eltarian technology?"  
  
Billy shook his head at him, "That's just it. It's definitely Terran technology- only it's several hundred years ahead of us." Billy smiled again for what Adam decided must have been the thousandth time. If nothing else, getting his feelings out in the open had done wonders for the Blue Ranger's disposition. He smiled a lot more now. "It's the kind of stuff I'd build if I had all the money I'd ever need and ten lifetimes to build it."  
  
"That good, huh?" Jason asked.  
  
"Excellent workmanship," Billy replied snuggling closer.  
  
"You two are worse than they used to be," Adam snorted at the Blue and Red Rangers.  
  
Adam felt Kim's hand muss his hair, "Well your day's coming." He heard a playful threat to her voice, "and yours too farm boy."  
  
"Who me? I'm behaving," the Yellow Ranger protested.  
  
"Let's see how well he behaves tomorrow when we take those physicals Ms. Stone told us about?" Tommy joked.  
  
Kyle just shrugged, "Hey I've poked and prodded before. No biggie to me."  
  
"I don't think I wanted to hear that," Adam told him.  
  
"You've just got your mind in the gutter," Tommy pushed against his back with a foot.  
  
"Yeah well, around you guys, it's supposed to be some place else?" he wondered if the slight taste of bitterness he was feeling showed up in his voice.  
  
"Uh guys, what physicals?" Billy asked.  
  
"The physicals we were informed we have to have tomorrow so we get the neat little bracelets, so they can tell us where everybody is," Kim replied.  
  
"Oh, the new morphers," Billy said. He looked over at Kim, "Kim, only you would refer to a clunky morpher as jewelry. " Shaking his head, "I didn't think those were ready yet."  
  
"You knew about these things?" Kyle asked.  
  
Billy nodded, "Yeah. Ms. Stone showed them to me. I uh. suggested some modifications to help us with 'zords, but she never got back to me about them." He shrugged, "I guess she didn't like the ideas."  
  
"Evidently, they're ready and we get them tomorrow, after we get them- what did she call it?- bio-coded to us." Kimberly said.  
  
Billy nodded, "Yeah. The idea is so that nobody but us can use them."  
  
Jason looked down at his watch. "Well, we're expected for dinner in half an hour. We'd better get a move on," He tapped Billy on the shoulder.  
  
"Dinner with the folks," Tommy kidded them. He gave Jason a serious look, "you know, this might be a good time to tell them about you two."  
  
Jason shrugged, "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I'm not sure how my parents are going to react."  
  
Tommy looked down Billy and then up a Jase. Adam knew what he was about to say, and knew that coming from Tommy it might not come out as well as it needed. Before Tommy could say anything Adam jumped. "Let me ask you a question Bro."  
  
Everybody turned to look at Adam. He knew as the second newest member on the team, they'd cut him a little slack. "You ashamed of Billy?" He looked over at Billy, "You ashamed of Jason?"  
  
"NO!" Jason almost shouted. "What a question to ask."  
  
Billy contemplated his question a little more carefully before answering. Finally, in that quiet voice that sometimes could cut through a crowd full of people talking he answered, "No. I've loved Jason half my life. The idea that he might reciprocate my feelings had never occurred to me outside of my most hidden dreams. I am content to keep things to myself until he's ready to face his parents."  
  
"I wouldn't man," Kyle said. "This is from experience: I'd come clean with your parents as soon as possible." He sighed, "Trust me, you don't want any of the parental units walking in on you and being doubly surprised." He smiled, "Besides, we have to lie to them enough about being Power Rangers. Don't get in the habit of it about other stuff."  
  
Every eye turned to look at Kyle. Finally Tommy broke the silence, "That's about as clear cut as I could put it."  
  
"Besides, if they freak, you're going to want a little time to adjust things," Adam told them.  
  
Getting off Tommy's lap, Kimberly pulled the Green Ranger to his feet. "Believe me, having the parents disapprove of your boyfriend is not a pleasant situation."  
  
"Listen to the voice of experience, there man. Mrs. Hart is so frightened of how much time I spend with Kimberly." Tommy told them, and Adam could sense a deeply hidden self-resentment in his voice. "Speaking of that, I'd better get you home, before she starts calling around."  
  
Kimberly just nodded, "Think about it Jase. It's really important."  
  
Jason just nodded, and followed them to the door. Adam and Kyle were right behind them. "I will."  
  
As they all left, Adam turned to Kyle, "Look man, I don't have anywhere I need to be until around nine. Wanna' head over to the Youth Bar and work out?"  
  
********************************************************  
  
Despite himself, Kyle began to thaw toward his new friends. His dad had told him that he was glad Kyle had started to fit in at Angel Grove, and made friends so quickly. It helped that Billy, and Jason and Kim had something of a reputation as being the "good kids to be around". He hated lying to him about being a Power Ranger, especially after all the trouble lying about Neal had caused his father, but he somehow got the feeling that dear old dad was not going to be very understanding about this either. However, what surprised Kyle most about his new friends is how much being around them made the pain of what happened in Kentucky, easier to bear.  
  
He genuinely enjoyed learning karate, and Jason, Tommy, and Adam were all excellent teachers. With the other members of the team pretty much paired off, that left him and Adam on the outside, so they tended to spend more time together. He had to admit, he liked the young Korean boy a great deal. They shared many of the same interests- not the least of which was a penchant for wearing black. He smiled to himself as they left the showers and headed toward Ernie's.  
  
Adam had really pushed him hard, and Kyle was starting to integrate much of what he already knew as tumbler into his fighting style. Tommy kidded him about trying to develop his own gymkata techniques and warned him of the dangers of leaving the ground in a fight. With no small amount of surprise, Kyle realized that for the first time in a year he was happy. He had friends who knew him- or at least were getting to known him- and who genuinely cared about him. So what if he had to suddenly cut out every now and again and fight some huge animated eraser from a pencil box dropped by a kid. It was a small price to pay for finally letting Neal rest.  
  
"Angel Grove to Kyle, Angel Grove to Kyle," Adam asked from across the table. "You in there man?"  
  
Kyle smiled and brought himself back to this reality. "Yeah, I was just thinking."  
  
"From the look on your face, I guess it was something nice," Adam told him.  
  
Kyle nodded, "you could say that." He took a long drink from his smoothie, "I was just thinking about how lucky I was to meet you guys."  
  
"Now you're heading back into chick territory, again," Adam accused him playfully. Kyle understood that Adam was uncomfortable with anything that might make himself or other people question his masculinity.  
  
Kyle just smiled at his friend and looked around to make sure nobody else could see, "Did I ever tell you about the day we all died?"  
  
Adam shook his head, "No, come to think of it, you didn't. I always thought you'd gotten caught in the battle somewhere. You know, in one of those buildings that Rita's monsters are always knocking down."  
  
Kyle shook his head, "It was something like that. Actually, I walked into the building hoping it would get knocked down on me."  
  
"You did what?" Adam's voice showed his incredulity.  
  
"I was looking for something to kill me. I just couldn't go on anymore. It wasn't so much I was in pain, as that living was just too much effort."  
  
"What would make you feel like that?" Adam asked.  
  
"None of you guys have ever pried into what happened in Kentucky." He sipped his smoothie and dragged the memories to the front. He was surprised to realize that they didn't hurt quite so much anymore. "I really appreciate that. Let's just say that the other half of my soul was murdered. The person responsible decided that if she couldn't have him, then nobody could. She then went out of her way to drag the whole mess through the papers. They and the local churches had a field day." He held up his fingers in quotation marks, "Gay Teen Murdered In Love Triangle. Thing about it, there was no triangle, she was a friend, that's all. Her defense attorney, drug all our letters to each other out in court. If I'd wanted to stay in the closet, he made that pretty much impossible." Kyle sighed, "Dad lost his job at the steel plant over it, so we moved here to make a fresh start."  
  
He saw Adam lean back in his seat, "That's rough Bro. I mean losing someone you love and then having all your personal thoughts and stuff made public."  
  
Kyle smiled and noticed that Adam had called him what seemed to be this group's favorite pet name. He briefly wondered how the others would react if he were to refer to Kimberly as Sis. "It wasn't a cake walk. I must have gotten jumped ten times. Mr. Stevenson at my high school was no help. When I complained about the harassment, all he said was that if I were going to be out of the closet, I'd have to learn to deal with it. I had to learn to hold my bladder because it got where I was taking my life into my own hands every time I went to the bathroom." He looked down in the smoothie, not wanting to face his new friend's eyes, "The last time it happened, I ended up with a fractured forearm, and lost my chances at the Pan Global Team." He was surprised to find that a lot of the bitterness seemed to have mellowed since he met the other Rangers. He shrugged, "Dad decided then that if I were going to survive high school we'd better move out of Eastern Kentucky." Looking up at Adam, "Coming here wasn't much better. I was miserable, alone, no friends, and just plain tired of living. When the battle with the invaders started, I just headed toward it, hoping that I'd catch a stray blow somewhere so the loneliness would go away."  
  
He felt Adam put a hand on his shoulder, "Man, I didn't know." Looking up into the young Korean's eyes he smiled weakly. Adam continued, "If I had, I'd have made it a point to get to know you." Adam smiled, "You're a pretty neat guy to know. Did you know that?"  
  
Kyle laughed, "You're just saying that because you want me to stop wearing your black." Leaning back he told his new friend, "I know that. I also know I didn't make it all that easy to get to know. I should have, but it was just so hard up until I met you guys. It just didn't seem to be worth the effort."  
  
"And now?"  
  
Kyle looked his friend in the eye, and was surprised to realize that yes, he considered Adam a friend, albeit one that was having to get used to having him around, but a friend none-the-less, "Now, it's easier. It's not easy yet," He smiled weakly at Adam, "Living is still a one day at time thing, but lately the days have been getting easier."  
  
"Kyle, I didn't know." Adam began.  
  
"You didn't know because I hadn't told you. Why should you, and to be honest, why should I have?" Kyle told him. "We're all really the walking wounded when you think about it. You guys are getting over losing Trini, Jason and Billy are new to what's happening between them, and I.," Kyle shrugged, "I've had my own issues to work on."  
  
Adam sat back and Kyle could see several emotions play across his face. Kyle briefly wondered what was on his friend's mind. Finally, with a loud sigh, he plunged ahead like a man doing something about which he was unsure of the consequences. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Like I told Tommy, it's the only way I know of to learn," Kyle answered glibly.  
  
"I don't know, this is pretty personal," Adam told him.  
  
"Adam I just told you the last personal thing I knew." He snorted and wondered if there just wasn't just a little resentment in his voice, "You're talking to a guy who had his love letters read aloud in court of law, and made a part of the public record."  
  
Adam nodded and Kyle knew he was still nervous before he ever opened his mouth, "If you were ready to die, then why did you decide to come back?"  
  
Kyle thought about just how valid that question was. "You know, I haven't really given it any thought. I guess, something Covenant told me, or promised me there was what sent me back."  
  
"And that was?" Adam asked.  
  
Kyle shook his head, "Uh uh, you first." He reached deep down and felt the Power flowing to him, and Adam. "I'll tell you if you tell me. I know what you felt waiting for you on the other side of the veil. Covenant let me see that before I made my decision. If I tell you why I came back, you tell me what sent you back here instead of on to the next world first."  
  
Kyle watched some kind of conflict play across his friend's face. He was surprised at how easy it was to read the Black Ranger. Finally, the boy sighed and leaned forward, "Okay, but this stays between you and me."  
  
Kyle nodded, "I won't hear a word you say man."  
  
"I came back because someone else asked me to." Adam blushed deeply, "They asked me fix something that went wrong in another place." He shook his head and looked down, "But to be honest with you I don't know how."  
  
"You're making less sense than usual pal," Kyle told him.  
  
Adam threw a straw at him and smiled, "I agreed to come back in spite of the pull of the Veil because." he hesitated, "It's really silly." Shaking his head he muttered, "It sounds like something out of a stupid fairy tale."  
  
"Now, I'm really confused," Kyle told him. "Look man, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay."  
  
Adam smiled up at him, "I'm willing, I'm just not sure how." He sighed, "Ever read Mercedes Lackey?"  
  
Kyle nodded, "Yeah. A teacher in Kentucky loaned me the Last Herald Mage series. I sort of think he had things between me and Neal figured out, and it was his way of telling me it was cool, that we'd always have at least one safe place in the school." He chuckled, "Last I heard, he'd left that little podunk town too."  
  
Adam smiled, "I hadn't until recently. Then, Kim loaned it to me a couple of weeks ago. I don't know where she got it, it's definitely not her normal reading genre, but I'm glad she did." He gave Kyle a softer look, "It really helped me understand you, and Jase and Billy a little better."  
  
Kyle smiled, "Thanks man, that means a lot, that at least you're trying." He smiled, "Remind me to do something nice for Kimberly." Returning to the conversation at hand, "But what has that got to do with your decision to come back?"  
  
Adam just smiled and shook his head, "I don't remember it all. I think I'm not supposed to, but it has something to do with somebody who is supposed to get a second chance at life. I'm supposed to make them see that just because they can't sit at the great table any more that they can't enjoy dinner with their friends, and that sometimes that dinner with friends can become the great table again." He laughed, "I think that's how Lackey tried to describe it."  
  
Kyle chuckled, "Man, that's a little deep, even for me."  
  
Adam smiled, and looked at him "I told you it sounded like something out of a fairy tale. But anyway, I remember that when it was explained to me, I wanted to help." He shook his head again, "No, it was more than help. Some part of me wanted to make it right." Looking back, he gave Kyle a wicked grin, "Now it's your turn."  
  
Kyle winced, "Touché. I guess since we're baring our souls then let's get it over with." He pulled up the feelings he'd felt in the Gray. "I know what you guys felt waiting on you on the other side of the Veil. Covenant let me see what each of you felt. Then he showed me what was waiting for me if I left that way." He felt his body tremble at the awesome might of the despair and separation he himself had felt- the loneliness that went on without end. "You guys would have died a hero's death, and gone on to be one with the Creator. Mine would have been the coward's, and it what I felt on the other side of the Veil was beyond anything I'd felt here. There was no peace, no happiness, just eternal loneliness and longing. Covenant yanked me back from that abyss and gave me a chance to make amends. I may be lonely here, I may be afraid, and just plain hurting, but it beats the hell out of what I had waiting for me if I gave up without a fight."  
  
He could see how his words were affecting Adam, "Man, that has to be rough. No wonder you came back. You literally got a glimpse of Hell, and told go back or go there." He shook his head, "At least the rest of us had a choice. Yours was no choice at all."  
  
Kyle nodded. "That's pretty much it." He stood up, "Well, I'd better be getting home soon. Dad's going to be worried about me." Reaching into his gym bag, he pulled out the yellow vest he bought the other day and put it on. He smiled and told Adam, "See you tomorrow."  
  
******************************************************  
  
Jason sat nervously at the dinner table with Billy, his parents and Mr. Cranston. His mom had made her world famous chicken casserole, but for some reason, he couldn't seem to enjoy its taste. He felt like it was his first date with Emily and he was afraid he was going to screw up and embarrass himself or something. Glancing over for the hundredth time at Billy he blushed. The two had been stealing touches under the table all during the meal. There was nothing untoward about it, just a gentle squeeze of each other's hand to lend strength, under what to him seemed to be the intense scrutiny of his parents and Billy's dad.  
  
For some reason facing their parents in this situation made Jason very nervous, and he kept worrying about what Billy's dad would think. The two boys had been friends since fourth grade, but he'd never in a million years allowed himself to even consider that their relationship would reach this point. Some part of him realized that he'd wanted it for a long time, but wouldn't let himself admit it. Now he was afraid that one of these three adults who were so important to all their friends' lives would try and take it away.  
  
"Boys, either you're feeding the dog under the table or you're holding hands," Jason's dad finally commented. Shaking his head he continued with a smile, "and the dog's outside."  
  
Jason and Billy both jumped at the comment and the table rattled from the force of their knees' collision with its underside. "Dad!" he protested.  
  
"Jason, Billy is there something you want to tell us?" Billy's dad said with aplomb. Jason felt the blood rise in his face.  
  
"Dad!" Billy echoed his own earlier protest, and Jason could see that Billy blushed even deeper than he.  
  
The Scotts, and Mr. Cranston all three pushed themselves back from the table. Finally, Jason's dad said, "I think maybe we should all go into the living room for coffee and a long talk."  
  
"Yes sir," both boys said in unison. Without saying a word, they both began to clear the table and load the dishwasher as Mrs. Scott put away the leftovers. Ten minutes later, they all were in the living room. Jason somehow felt a little better in that his father had included both he and Billy in the coffee part of the conversation. He at least felt his parents were treating them as at least responsible, if not quite adults.  
  
"So?" Mr. Cranston began, "Jason, are you planning on attending MIT or are you two going to attempt a long distance relationship while you're in college?"  
  
"Sir?" Jason asked confused.  
  
"Are-you-going-to-attend-college-in-Boston-with-Billy?" Mr. Cranston repeated stressing each word separately. Jason could see a rare smile on the man's face and realized that he was actually being teased by his friend's- no he had to as Kimberly put it, readjust his thinking there- his- well they weren't exactly lovers, yet- whatever the hell Billy was to him now- father.  
  
"Uh. Dad. don't push," Billy pleaded. "Please."  
  
"Ed, Frank," Jason's mom said, "Don't tease the boys. Can't you see they're scared." Jason had to admit that his mom was right. For some reason, he found himself more frightened at this moment than when they'd faced the Kregar several weeks ago and lost.  
  
"Calm down boys," Frank said. We're just teasing." He smiled and leaned back in his chair, "We were wondering however, when you were going to tell us."  
  
"You're not mad?" Jason asked incredulously.  
  
His dad shook his head, "No son. We're not mad. What have we all tried to teach you boys? Just like with Zack, it's not important what color you skin is, it's what's in your character. The same applies here: who you love isn't as important as that you love."  
  
Jason's mom gave them a serious look, "You are in love aren't you?" She poured five coffees, "I mean this isn't just some experimental stage is it?"  
  
Jason was a little hurt by the question. He realized that he'd loved Billy half his life. At first, it was as a friend, then as the brother he never had. Finally, sometime around eighth grade, he realized that he loved him as something more. Tommy was his best friend, because Billy was something beyond that. He shook his head, "No ma'am. To be honest, I think I was experimenting with Emily." He felt slightly ashamed at that admission. "This is the real thing."  
  
She smiled and looked over at Billy, "And you, Billy?"  
  
"Beyond question, Mrs. Scott, I've known I loved Jason since eighth grade." The young blond surprised everyone in the room by reaching over and taking Jason's hand. Physical displays of affection were as Billy called it, 'not the Cranston way'. Jason realized that he was making a very serious point. "If Jase were to ask- which I know he wouldn't- but should he, I'd give up my lab for him."  
  
Jason watched as the adults considered Billy's rather stunning revelation. Finally, he got up the nerve to ask a question, "How'd you know?"  
  
"You mean besides the way you two have been stealing glances at each other all night?" his dad asked. "Or the fact that you would reach over and touch each other under the table for reassurance?" his dad continued. "I'm a cop Jason, and a father. I can read clues as well as your mother. I've known there was an attraction between you two for over a year now."  
  
"How?" Jason asked incredulously. "I didn't realize what I was feeling until recently myself."  
  
His father smiled, "You got just a little too upset when Billy got thrown..uh.. fell off the Kingsley Building on his birthday last year. You didn't react to that like a best friend getting hurt, it was more like a love."  
  
Jason turned to Mr. Cranston, "And you sir?"  
  
Mr. Cranston graced him with one of his rare truly warm smiles, "I've known Billy was gay for a while now. We talked about it a couple of years back. I deduced you were the object of his affections from a very early point. He never said anything mind you, but I'm not a stupid man."  
  
"No sir," Jason agreed quickly. Turning to Billy he said, "You've been in love with me for that long?"  
  
"Jase, I think I've been in love with you since I met you. It just took a while to realize what that meant." Jason couldn't believe Billy just said that in front of all their parents. He was beginning to wonder exactly what effect the Power was having the Blue Ranger. He was definitely becoming more self-assured. He noticed that their family seemed to be as taken aback by the admission as he was.  
  
Jason's dad cleared his throat, "Back to my original question, when were you boys going to tell us?"  
  
"Once we'd completely ascertained the full ramifications of our situation ourselves. Being as we were unsure of your individual reactions to this rather unusual revelation we were considering sometime post collegiate graduation." Billy told Mr. Scott.  
  
Jason had to translate what Billy just said, and not for the first time since they'd returned from the Gray he wished that Trini were there to translate the Billy-speak. "I think," he finally said.  
  
"Billy," Mrs. Scott admonished gently, "You don't have to be nervous. We're not going to bite you, and we're not going to try and keep you boys apart." She smiled, "But I do think we may have to discuss some new ground rules about sleep-overs."  
  
Jason blushed deeply.  
  
********************************************************  
  
Kimberly got down off the table as Ms. Hayes gave the scans a good once- over before she decided that there was something there she didn't like. Handing Kimberly her new morpher, she sat down in the chair across from her. "I take it you have some kind of hormonal imbalance, Kimberly." She said without any preamble.  
  
Kimberly felt herself blush deeply as she nodded, running her fingers through her hair. "Yes ma'am, irregular periods and all, although lately they haven't been too much of a problem."  
  
Ms. Hayes shook her head and snorted, "They shouldn't be ever again." Leaning back in the chair she told her, "That's the nature of the Power, it tends to correct any disabilities you might have. I would suggest coming off the birth control pills you're using to control them. They aren't needed anymore, and they'll throw your whole system out of whack."  
  
Kimberly felt herself blush even deeper, unsure of how to approach this situation, "Uh., uh."  
  
Hayes just smiled and nodded at her, "That's not going to happen either," the woman told her sensing the Pink Ranger's discomfort. "The only way you could possible end up with children is if you talk to Billy really nicely about doing some genetic manipulation for you. Once your Power activated, your ability to conceive was pretty much shut down." She shrugged, "It's the universe's way of protecting itself. Can't have too many 22 year old immortals running around out there." She smiled and indicated Kimberly, "Or in your case seventeen."  
  
Kimberly was confused, "Didn't Ms. Stone say that you're father was part of the Power too?"  
  
"I have two fathers," She told Kimberly. "one mother. Yes one of my fathers is part of the Power, and genetically speaking he's not my parent." She shrugged, "But genetics don't really matter all that much in things like this. Do you think Tommy's parents love him any less because he's adopted?"  
  
"Oh," Kimberly said. "I was just wondering how you could have been conceived if your father was uh. uh." Kimberly felt the blood continue to rise in her face.  
  
Hayes just laughed, "Don't worry about it, Kimberly." Getting up from her chair she continued, "I'll tell you what. One day I'll sit down and tell you all about it. The whole six to twelve hundred years- depending on which point in time you catch my consciousness."  
  
"You're an interesting person to know Ms. Hayes." Kimberly told.  
  
Ms. Hayes laughed, "You're being polite. I'm a weird person to know." Getting up she gestured toward the door and waited for Kimberly before following behind her.  
  
Kimberly walked out of Medical Bay Two with Ms. Hayes to join the other five boys, who were surprisingly enough, blushing. She noted that Kyle was pulling a black and gold polo shirt on over his ever-present black tank. Ms. Stone turned and faced them, "All right boys and girls, we've covered enough of the birds and the bees, and I'm proud to announce that you are all disgustingly healthy. Not a leg cramp or a zit among you." She turned and typed something into the panel behind her and muttered playfully, "Got to be a crime." Turning back to the group she smiled, "As to your new morphers, you'll discover some upgrades in them from the old ones. Most notably is that you don't need them to call on the Power. They're mainly meant as a communicator and a method of summoning the 'Zords." She turned and smiled at Billy, "Yes Billy, I was listening. You had some good ideas and I did work them in." Kimberly noticed the surprised look on his face, as he muttered something under his breath. Finally, the Blue Ranger looked up at Ms. Stone and said, "They were just some thoughts I considered that would make our endeavors with the 'Zords more effective."  
  
Ms. Stone smiled at him, and actually tousled the blond ranger's hair. "They were good ones, Billy." Turning back she seemed to consider her next words carefully. Finally, coming to some sort of decision she said, "There is something else I want to talk to you about."  
  
Every Ranger turned to face her, "Go on, Ms. Stone," Jason said leaning back against one of the counters.  
  
"It's about your parents," Ms. Stone glanced over at Ms. Hayes before continuing. "Winter and I have been talking and we think that it might be a good idea for some of you," she turned and faced Kimberly, "not all mind you, but some of you to consider letting your parents in on who you are."  
  
"But what of Zordon's admonitions concerning protecting our secret identities?" Billy asked.  
  
Kimberly watched as Ms. Murphy shook her head and chuckled, "One of these days, I'm going to have to have a long talk with Zordon of Eltar. He's got some pretty strange ideas on what's important." She leaned against one of the tables in the room. "I understand the need to protect your family and all that, but sometimes I wonder if Zordon lives in the same reality as the rest of us. Not telling his parents about his situation was what got my son killed. If he'd come to me about what he'd discovered, and what he was doing at night," she blushed deeply and Kim could hear a strong note of self-recrimination in her voice, "well maybe not all of what he was doing, but the stuff that involved going out in spandex I would have made a few more allowances." She sighed, "What were his rules? Let's get those cleared up now."  
  
Jason ticked off on his fingers, "Never use the Power for personal gain. Never escalate a fight with Rita and Zedd. Always protect your secret identities."  
  
Ms. Hayes nodded with each of them. "All of those are admirable qualities that you should strive to live up to. However, I wonder if he ever considered honesty among them." She smiled at the Rangers, "Number one is a good idea in general. However, you have to be careful about how you define personal gain. Is protecting a loved one, or a teammate personal gain? How about Billy using the advanced technology he has access here to improve his chances of getting into a better college?"  
  
For some reason, Kimberly found herself needing to come to Zordon's defense. "Zordon just didn't want us using the power to make ourselves rich or something."  
  
Ms. Hayes smiled at her. "I understand that, but by interfering in your world, Zordon already created an imbalance. He gave you the Power to use to defend the world, asked you to risk your lives, your sanity, and your families." She shook her head, "It hardly seems fair to take from you, your lives and your innocence and not expect you to want something in return."  
  
"But we don't want anything." Jason said.  
  
Ms. Hayes raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Oh really?" She walked over to Jason, and looked up into his face, "What if Billy were to get hit by a car and killed this afternoon? Would you not want to use the Power to stop it or if you thought you could, to bring him back?"  
  
"But that's not for personal gain!"  
  
"Really?" she asked. "Using Zordon's formula, all I really would have to do is find a replacement blue ranger. No more Billy, just go out and get a new model. Don't worry about what I might owe you for putting your lives on the line for the planet. The old Command Center's files had at least three names listed as replacement rangers. Since Billy is so easily replaceable," she made quotation marks with her hands for the last two words, "then using the Power to bring him back would only be for selfish reasons."  
  
"That's cold," Tommy told her. "Billy is not selfish reasons." Kimberly could see a coldness come over even Ms. Stone's eyes. "He's a friend, and I for wouldn't care what you told me. If it would bring back a friend I'd do it."  
  
Hayes smiled at him, "From you, I'd expect nothing less." Turning to Jason, "I think Jason, even you'd eventually defy even Zordon over Billy or Kimberly. No, scratch that, I know you would." She shook her head and walked away from the tables, "My point is that these are guidelines, they are not laws written in stone tablets handed down from the Mount by Moses. I also think honesty with your parents in some cases may be better than the last rule." She shrugged, "I'm not talking about going out and using your 'Zords to rob Fort Knox, I'm talking about there being nothing wrong with using the Power to save lives, or ease pain when needed, even if you do gain something from it. You are almost adults. You are old enough that I trust your judgment on these things." She shook her head, "You all know right from wrong, I'm just giving you the opportunity to demonstrate that.  
  
"So who do you think should tell their parents?" Tommy asked.  
  
Ms. Stone smiled at him, "I'm not sure your parents are ready for that yet, Tommy. I think given a little time they will, but to be honest there are just getting used to having a son, let's not toss the fact that he's a Power Ranger into the mix just yet." She turned to face Kimberly, smiled, and continued, "With everything else your mom is worrying about right now," Kimberly glanced guiltily over at Tommy, "let's not scare her anymore either."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Tommy grinned at Kimberly. Both she and he understood that the only thing that might scare her mom more than her spending time alone with 'that Oliver boy' is that she might be putting herself in danger.  
  
Turning to Adam she looked at him, "I understand your dad isn't too happy with the whole concept of Power Rangers." She shook her head, "Under the circumstances, it might not be a good idea to tell him either."  
  
"No ma'am," Adam told her.  
  
Looking over at Kyle, "I'm not sure if you should tell your father or not. Your situation is rather unique, and I'm not sure how he'll deal with it." She smiled, "Let's give him a little time to adapt to other things before we hit him with the spandex and the 'Zords."  
  
Smiling, she finally turned to Billy and Jason, "You two however, are a different story. I think it's time you came clean with your parents. They aren't stupid, nor are they distracted by other issues. I think maybe they will be a lot more understanding than you give them credit for."  
  
"Are you certain of this, Ms. Stone? We don't wish to overload them with too many worries." Kimberly watched Billy exchanged and embarrassed glance with Jason. "Recent events have already put a great strain on our relationships with them."  
  
Ms. Stone raised an eyebrow, "Came out to them huh?" She smiled, "You didn't waste any time." Smiling at the confused look on the boys' face, "Don't ever make the mistake of thinking I'm stupid. I've been dealing with boys coming to grips with their sexuality for way too long." She laughed, "You might even say it's part of the job description." Sighing deeply, "I think this might be something they can handle.  
  
"Actually, they already suspected," Billy told her. "We were asked whether we were going to attempt to pursue a long range relationship or if we were going to attend the same university."  
  
Although Kimberly had not really expected Mr. Cranston nor the Scotts to disown their sons, the blithe manner in which they seemed to have accepted their relationship surprised even her. "That's great, guys!"  
  
Jason blushed, "I'm still not sure how I feel about things,"  
  
Kimberly watched Billy suddenly blanche. She couldn't help the harsh tone in her voice, "What do you mean, Jase?"  
  
Jase seemed to realize that his words may have hurt someone. Kimberly could see the dawning of understanding come across his face. Finally he spoke up, "Not that. Never that!" He blushed deeply, "I meant I'm not sure how I feel about my parents being so understanding." Turning his face, "Not you Billy, never about you."  
  
The tension seemed to leave the room, as Kim realized that although their blond friend had come a long way toward building his self-esteem, it was still very fragile, especially where Jason was concerned. Finally, Ms. Murphy sighed and then smiled, "So your parents told you?" She shook her head, ran a hand through her red hair, and chuckled. "Like I said, parents are as stupid as most teenagers think. I think this is something they can handle, though. Something they need to know."  
  
Billy nodded and answered her, "We'll endeavor to inform them of our status as Power Rangers sometime in the near future." Kimberly could tell that even though Jason hadn't meant to hurt Billy, his words still had raised some doubts in the mind of the Blue Ranger. She was going to have to have a long talk with Jason about that. Like she'd told him earlier, Jason was going to make some serious changes in his attitudes about Billy. "I can't promise anything right now. Jason and I have to do some settling down of our own," Billy told their advisor.  
  
"Good, just don't take too long," Ms. Hayes smiled. "I know you're parents worry."  
  
*******************************************************  
  
Billy ducked the blow from Adam's axe and came up with a quick sweep of the staff that Ms. Stone had supplied. Adam was forced to use a technique Kyle had taught him to get out of the way of the whirling weapon and found himself pinned to the back wall by his friend. Adam couldn't get over how much the Blue Ranger had improved with his martial arts training over the last few weeks. "You're getting good. Pretty soon, you'll be ready to go one on one with Jason or Tommy." He shook his head, "I never really expected you to pick up staff so quickly."  
  
Billy shrugged as the two bowed to the dojo and left the sparring area of the new Command Center. "Ms. Stone has really been pushing me. I'm comfortable with a staff. It's fits in my hand easily, and is a weapon that can be conveniently improvised." He smiled at Adam, "Besides, for some reason, it just feels right in my hand. It's almost as if I am coming out of some fugue and the skill and knowledge of the weapon is awakening inside me." Adam smiled, "I know what you mean." In the past, a certain amount of skill ability came was evident whenever they morphed, but lately Adam felt like they were tapping into something entirely new, and in many ways frightening. "I can feel myself reaching whole new levels of ability. It's sort of scary." He shook his head, " and for some reason, I keep seeing this frog."  
  
Billy smiled, "You think it's unnerving for us, imagine how our opponents must feel." Billy was right, most of the attacks that Rita and Zedd had been responsible for of late were almost nothing but nuisances. They'd yet even had to put their new 'Zords to use, being more than capable of handling the monsters before Rita could even make them grow. He suspected that the ancient sorceress and her new husband were becoming rather frustrated with the changes that had occurred in the Power Rangers.  
  
"That's what scares me Billy, Ms. Stone seems to think we're not ready to handle the Kregar yet, and we're already walking through Rita and Zedd like they weren't even there. What does that mean for what's coming?"  
  
The Blue Ranger just shrugged and his voice became soft and somewhat ominous, "They killed us once. I don't intend to let that happen a second time."  
  
"INTRUDER IN THE COMMAND CENTER! INTRUDER IN THE COMMAND CENTER!" The computer's voice came over the intercom.  
  
Before either boy could react, a familiar and much-missed figure came out of one of the side rooms, "Aiyiyiyiyi! Billy, Adam, somebody's trying to break through the outer doors," Alpha Five suddenly told them.  
  
"Alpha! Where've you been?" Adam asked surprised to see their old friend. He assumed that Alpha had been destroyed when the original Command Center had been blown up by the Kregar.  
  
"I've been in the repair bay. Ms. Stone has been putting me back together!" The little robot looked over at the entrance to the outer doors, "I can't raise Jason or the others on the communicators, Billy! What are we going to do?"  
  
Adam turned to look at the Blue Ranger, but before Billy could respond the outer doors to the training center exploded inward. He felt the force of the blast pick him up and slam him into the far wall. The heat was horrific, and there was a strange smell that reminded him of his trip to Diamonhead in Hawaii.  
  
He let his body go limp to absorb as much of the impact as he could. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Billy back-flipping out of the way of a second blast coming from the direction of where the door used to be. Five figures came charging through the hole made by the explosion.  
  
The first was a man wearing black glasses and some kind of heavy blue jacket- some dry part of Adam's mind registered the shades of gray at his temples before moving on to the of the woman beside him. A tall leggy blonde wearing a matching skirt, came walking through the hole. "Hayes has us fighting children now?"  
  
He and Billy quickly closed ranks, and stood shoulder to shoulder. A quick glance at each other, both boys stepped back into their fighting stances, "Who are you people, and what do you think you're doing attacking our Command Center?" Adam asked.  
  
"Where's the Time Shard?" A large man dressed in a similar costume came charging past the woman to leap at Adam.  
  
"Barricade, no! Not children!" the woman screamed from behind him.  
  
Adam ducked the bigger man- no Adam was honest with himself, this guy was huge- and rolled off to the side. Rolling to his feet, he'd about had enough. Looking over at Billy he nodded again and yelled to his friend, "It's morphin' time!"  
  
He noticed Billy grinning at something as he too summoned the Power. Suddenly Adam was alive and full of energy. He could feel the Power flow through him like a raging river, sweeping away all doubts about his training. He felt his clothes supercharge and morph into the costume he wore the other day in the park. Grabbing the man known as Barricade as he bounced off the wall, he twisted and slung him back toward his comrades. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not welcome here."  
  
The woman was shaking her head, "I knew this was a bad idea."  
  
Behind her, a girl not much older than Adam, came flying through the hole, her whole body engulfed in some kind of fire, while screaming, "Kurt!" she veered off course and lay down a barrage of flame that drove both Adam and Billy back.  
  
Adam watched as Billy continued with the acrobatic maneuvers to get out of the way of the blasts, but the staff he was carrying was throwing off his balance. He watched in horror as the girl corrected her aim to lead with the Blue Ranger and caught his friend a solid blow across the ribs. Suddenly, the Blue Ranger was engulfed in the flame. If he lived to be a thousand, Adam would never forget the sound of Billy's scream of pain.  
  
Adam felt a grim anger come over him. Who were these maniacs who charged in here, blasting away at his friends? Without hesitation, he reached for the Morpher on his wrist. "Black Ranger NeoZord, Battlemode 1!" Again, he felt a rush of power, as his costume was suddenly replaced with a hardened armored version of his old costume, complete with the Mastodon motif on the helmet. Hitting another toggle on the communicator, he vainly called into the device, "Jason! Tommy! Kyle! Kimberly! Anybody! We got trouble at the Command Center." Before he could finish the sentence, he felt his wrist suddenly trapped in vice-like grip.  
  
"I don't think we need anybody else here right now," the big man called Barricade told him. Adam suddenly felt himself picked up and thrown across the room to where Billy was rolling trying to put out the flames engulfing his costume. Again rolling to absorb the impact he came up to his feet, putting himself between the Blue Ranger and their attackers. Taking a second to look back over his shoulder, he asked his friend, "You okay ma." His jaw was suddenly impacted with Barricade's fist and he was thrown back into the wall. As the bigger man closed for the kill, Billy suddenly rolled to his feet, the staff still in his hands whirling around and swept Barricade from his feet.  
  
Hitting the morpher on his wrist Billy was grimly silent as his body was engulfed in blue lightning that transformed his costume into the triceratops version of Adam's own mastadon. That same dry part of his mind noted that for some reason Billy didn't seem to have a need to verbally call on the Power- he simply summoned it. "Bad move man." Twisting his body almost three quarters the way around, the Blue Ranger slammed the butt of his staff into the ribs of his attacker, lifting the bigger man up and slinging him back toward the rest of his closing team.  
  
Once again regaining his feet, Adam noticed that this team didn't stand around waiting to see what happened with Barricade. They quickly closed the distance and the older man was firing some kind of flaming liquid at him. Adam suddenly recognized the smell- lava! Ducking again to the side, Adam rolled back to his feet into the face of a larger man, just barely older than himself. There were glowing triangular spikes protruding from his the backs of his hands. "Barricade may go down, but Shrike ain't that easy!" Suddenly, Adam found himself in the fight of his life. This guy wasn't a brawler. He knew how to fight and on more than one occasion, Adam felt the energy blades pierce his armor. Slowly and inexorably, he and Billy were driven back against the wall by the combined forces of these invaders. Taking a brief second to glance over at his friend, he knew even through two masks what Billy was thinking. They were getting their butts kicked, it was time to ratchet things up a notch.  
  
"Black Ranger NeoZord Battlemode Two!" he yelled to nobody in particular as he felt a surge through his body again. He watched as the surprised looks on the faces of their opponents as he and the Blue Ranger were encased in a heavier version of their armor, complete with enhanced exoskeleton.  
  
"Who do these guys think they are, Robotech or something?" The man with the spikes asked nobody in particular.  
  
He kicked out at the girl and bigger man who were attacking him to clear a way to the other end of the hall. "Adam," he heard Billy's voice come over the helmet's com link. "If we can get them between us, maybe we can use the new nets."  
  
Adam simply gave a quick nod and began to drive the two back across the room. Hitting the communicator switch now embedded in his armor, he called again, "Jason! Tommy! Anybody! We could use some help in here!"  
  
He was surprised to hear Kyle's voice over the radio, "What's up man? We've got our hands full out here with some guy with a sword and a woman with silver skin in a space ship."  
  
"Well, we're getting our butts kicked in here by five people with weird powers. We're already at Battlemode Two."  
  
"Hang tight man. We'll get there as soon as we can." Kyle's voice came over the radio.  
  
"What is it with Hayes?" The woman in the skirt asked. "It's not like her to use children."  
  
"These children as you call them, Time Stepper are the Power Rangers," Ms. Stone's voice suddenly came from across the room. Learning his lesson from previous encounters, Adam didn't bother to look in her direction. Taking advantage of the fact that the man with glasses did, Adam lashed out with a solid front kick. His foot, now encased in sixteen inches of hardened metal, slammed into the man's ribs with tremendous force. Adam heard the distinct sound of bones breaking as the man was slammed across the room by the force of the blow.  
  
"We've fought C.H.E.S.S armor and won, Stone. This is really no match for us," Barricade told her. "I'll peel it off them and shove up their a."  
  
The man's voice was cut off when Billy's staff caught him along side the head. Adam winced at the force of the blow, and realized that Billy was starting to catch his second wind. Stone came walking across the floor carrying a rather large looking handgun, not caring whether she was hit by any of the new comers or not. Oddly enough, she made it to the center of the room unmolested. "This isn't C.H.E.S.S. armor, LeBeck. This stuff is based on Adam and Steve's designs and fueled by the Power. You can no more peel this off them than you could take down Winter's dad." She turned and faced the girl who was slipping up behind her and dropped the barrel of the pistol between her eyes. "You want to find out if you can melt a fifty caliber round from this range before it splatters your brains across the dojo, Soulfire?"  
  
The girl stopped short of Stone, and gave Stone a chagrined look, "Uh. Hi."  
  
"Hi yourself." Turning she looked over at where the older man was holding his ribs. Glancing up at Billy she winked at him, "Now get up Temblor and tell me what it is you're doing here."  
  
Adam watched as the blond man calling himself Shrike helped the older guy to his feet. Adam noticed both men were holding their ribs, and realized that they'd given a lot better than they got in the fight. He could see bright red blood oozing from the man's mouth. "You okay Dad?" Shrike asked.  
  
The older man only nodded and steadied himself against the wall. "Tell Pandora and Brightblade to stand down." He looked over at Stone, "I've been authorized by the British government to recover the pieces of the Time Stone."  
  
Ms. Stone just shook her head, "So you thought you'd just waltz in here shooting first and asking questions later and take it, huh?"  
  
He nodded, "It belongs to us."  
  
"Wrong!" Murphy cut him off. "It belonged to Merlin. He lost it, and had his powers stripped for the transgression. You found it, and destroyed it, and in the process created a rift in time and space and started the Time War, which eventually led to the Enhancer War. Winter recovered several of the pieces and we are not going to let you have them back. You can't be trusted with it."  
  
Temblor gave her a long look. Adam was unsure if it was due to the pain from his kick or if he was considering his words first. "Destroying the stone was an accident."  
  
"And that means what? You are not to be trusted with the Stone." She crossed her arms, "You can't have it back."  
  
"We can take it," Barricade told her.  
  
"You can try," Billy finally answered softly. Everyone turned to face the Blue Ranger and he continued softly, "I've seen the files on your experiment with the Time Stone. The resulting Time Storm cost at least one kid his life. That alone makes you unfit to be its guardian." He stepped up next to Ms. Stone and put a massive hand on her shoulder. Adam felt a surge of the Power flow to Billy. "I will not allow you the opportunity to destroy more innocent lives in a reckless pursuit of knowledge."  
  
"Accidents happen," Shrike shrugged. "You have no right to interfere here boy. I don't have a beef with you, but I do have a mission, and I will not fail."  
  
Adam could see Billy's weight shift slightly, and was surprised to see the normally quiet Blue Ranger willing to escalate the situation. "Your failure is already evident. You cannot win here. We stand between you and this shard, and against us, you cannot win." As if to emphasize his words he spun the staff he was carrying and then reset it to the ground with a loud thud.  
  
"Huh?" the girl identified as Soulfire said.  
  
"He said we'll have to go through him to get the shard," Shrike told her.  
  
The girl shrugged, "Okay."  
  
"Alpha," Billy said to the general air, "Activate the containment field."  
  
Suddenly the invaders were encased in a field of translucent energy. Only then, Adam could sense a slight relaxing in Billy's stance. "What's going on here?" Temblor asked.  
  
"You are surrounded by a pressor field of energy designed specifically to magnify and reflect back any attack made from the inside. I would advise against any attempt to escape being as the results could become rather messy very quickly." Billy told the other team. "My personal morality does not allow me to encase you in such a field without warning you that any attack you make might result in your own demise. Power Rangers don't kill."  
  
Temblor glared out from the energy prison Billy had constructed, "Let us out of here!" Suddenly Barricade charged the edge of the field and there was a flash of light as he was hurled backwards into Shrike.  
  
Beside Billy, Ms. Stone was laughing quietly. There was a bitter tone to her voice.. "Looks like you've finally met someone who not only is willing to outsmart you LeBeck, but has managed to survive doing it."  
  
"I didn't mean for the boy to die, Murphy. I would have done anything to stop it," Temblor told her as Shrike and Barricade picked themselves up from the floor of the containment field.  
  
"Except shut down your experiment," Murphy told her.  
  
"It wasn't my call. It was Rebecca's project and the British government's call. I didn't have a say."  
  
"And I don't have a say about this either," Murphy told him. She looked over to where Alpha had taken cover behind a piece of fallen debris. "Alpha send them back to their own reality, minus their time ship." She gave LeBeck a long stare, "We're letting you go this time, Temblor. You come back and bother me or mine again, and the Rangers may not kill you, but I will." As if to emphasize her words, she put the hand gun back into the holster under her jacket.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," Alpha told her. "I am activating the trans-temporal transportation device now." Adam watched as the members of the StormQuest team disappeared in flash of white light.  
  
Ms. Stone turned back to Adam and Billy, "I'm sorry about that. I had no idea that they would be able to cross the dimensions to come here looking for the shard. Adam watched as Billy sent his armor away and morphed back down. He could see the Blue Ranger suddenly relax as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "You did good out there, Billy." She smiled at him, "Damn good. I wasn't expecting something like that. How did you rig the force field so quickly?"  
  
"It was already there," Tommy's voice came from the main door. "Alpha used it to trap me once when I was under Rita's spell." The Green Ranger picked his way across the room and through the debris to finally stop at Billy. He put a hand out onto the Blue Ranger's shoulder, "That was some good thinking Billy."  
  
Adam watched as Billy blushed deeply, "I only did what any of the rest of you would have done."  
  
Tommy smiled as Jason, Kyle and Kimberly joined them, "But it wasn't any of the rest of us, it was you. You came up with a plan and you carried it out."  
  
Adam smiled at his friend, "And you saved my butt when I thought Shrike was about to skewer me. You're getting good with that staff." He could see all the attention was making Billy nervous. "Good job pal," he told the Blue Ranger. Turning he faced Jason and Tommy, "And exactly where were you guys? We were getting out clocks cleaned in here, until Billy pulled that force field out of his pocket?'  
  
Jason smiled at him, "Sorry Little Bro, we were dealing with some guy with a sword and his pet robot. We were trying to get in here to help out, but to be honest he was one tough hombre. We could've used some of your help out there." Turning to Stone, he asked, "What was that really all about Ms. Stone?"  
  
She laughed at him, "When Winter rebuilt the Command Center, she used a Time Shard to power it. That shard came from what's left after StormQuest shattered the Time Stone back in our universe. That set off a nasty little war between the Time Lords called the Time War, which eventually led to the Enhancer Wars and a rather grim apocalyptic future. That is until Winter stepped in, she closed the rip in space/time," she smiled over at Jason, "-in at least one universe I know of, you were responsible for making sure that rip got closed Jason- and stopped the Time War and averted the Enhancer Wars. Instead of giving the pieces of stone back to Storm Quest for further research, Winter kept them so LeBeck couldn't get his hands on them." She shook her head, "He hasn't quite realized that there is some knowledge man is not yet meant to have."  
  
Adam turned to Billy, "By the way, I like the new 'Zords, especially the intermediate Battlemode Two level. For when we need that little extra power without having to call in so much fire power that it's overkill. Good work there too."  
  
Billy just blushed again.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
Tommy watched Billy work silently in the lab. He hated to do what he was about to, but he was the only one who really could. Adam, Jason, and Kimberly had all come to him asked him to speak to Billy about the changes they'd all noticed in him lately. Jason felt that he couldn't right now because of what was developing between them, Adam didn't think he knew the Blue Ranger well enough- besides Kimberly and Jason, who did?- and Kimberly thought it would sound better, less scary he guessed, coming from a guy.  
  
Once again, he found himself marveling at his scientist friend's grace in the lab. It was almost as if scientific research was as much an exercise in an art form to him as karate was to he, Jason, and Adam; and gymnastics was to Kyle and Kimberly. He moved with an easy grace that belied his reputation as a klutz, and it was evident even to Tommy who's interest in science was limited to how it could be applied to the physics of martial arts, that Billy was the master of all he surveyed. "Hey Bro, what's up?" he asked.  
  
Billy turned and smiled at him, "Just making some adjustments to this phase particle shield Ms. Stone asked me to come up with." He put the device down on the table and smiled over at Tommy. "What's on your mind?" Tommy thought he heard a pause in Billy's voice as if he were trying a word on for size, "Bro."  
  
Tommy was briefly caught off guard by the use of a word he and the rest of the male Rangers tended to toss around a great deal, but never seemed to find it's way into Billy's vocabulary. To be honest, the only time he ever remembered Billy using the word was the other day in the park, just before he kissed Jason. "I thought we should uh. sit down and talk a while," Tommy told him.  
  
Billy smiled, something Tommy had noticed the Blue Ranger doing more of lately, "Any particular field of inquiry on your mind, or are you simply wishing to engage in general conversation?" Billy asked.  
  
"Huh?" Tommy asked.  
  
Billy grinned at him, "what do you want to talk about Tommy?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. You, Jason, Kimberly, the fact that Kim decked me the other day." Tommy grinned at him.  
  
"I had no involvement in that altercation between you and her whatsoever." Billy replied, but the slight rise in his tone of voice and the look in his eyes, told Tommy that his old friend was just a little nervous about the subject.  
  
"Don't worry man. I'm not going to hit you," Tommy told him. "Just wondering about your sudden change in attitude." He looked around carefully, "To tell you the truth, Kimberly's a little worried you might be under some kind of spell. Either that, or some heavy-duty stress."  
  
Billy looked confused. He shook his head, "I don't understand the nature of your inquiry. How has my behavior been any different of late than," he stopped to consider something, "how long of time period are we discussing here?"  
  
Tommy smiled, "Just lately. Since we came back from the Gray." He used the term that all of them seemed to have fallen to using to describe the place where they'd each spoken to Covenant several weeks ago.  
  
Billy reached for something on his face, and Tommy suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing his glasses, "How has my behavior different from before we left." He blushed deeply, "Not withstanding my uh. uh.. relationship, if you can call it that with Jason."  
  
"You're more assertive, aggressive," Tommy shrugged, "more male."  
  
Billy smiled, "and you consider this a problem?" Tommy could hear a hint of hurt in his friend's voice.  
  
"No, just wondering why the sudden change." He smiled, "I mean I saw the tapes from your fight with Temblor. You were ready to take that whole team on by yourself if you had to. Before we came back you would have never done something like that."  
  
Billy chuckled and turned his back to Tommy, reaching for some device on the table. Tommy got the distinct feeling that he really wasn't interested in the gadget he picked as much as he needed something in his hands. "Look since we've been back it's not like I've had Zordon telling me that the only thing I'm good for is tech support and you guys letting him get away with it." He brought his gaze up to match Tommy's "I mean, you yourself once described me as only a middling fighter. I decided to change that."  
  
Tommy felt a sudden sense of shame over that comment he made a year ago to Jason. "We never thought of you only as tech support." Some part of Tommy realized that there might be more to Billy's words than he thought.  
  
"Look Tommy," Billy leaned forward toward him, and Tommy realized that whether Billy knew it or not, his body language was challenging him. For the first time he could remember, he was actually trying to match Tommy on the physical level, "I just decided that I had to make a few changes in order to keep what I've got, and I don't want to lose it because I'm too shy or awkward to be interesting."  
  
Tommy actually felt his own hackles rise, and realized that whether he wanted to or not, his body was reacting to Billy's sudden aggressiveness. It took a conscious effort to keep his own voice friendly and level when his body's instincts were screaming something entirely different. Suddenly it hit Tommy what this was all about- Jason. "You think you need to be more like me or Adam to keep that interest?" He shook his head and reached out and put a friendly hand on the Blue Ranger's shoulder, "It doesn't work like that Bro. He likes you because you're not me or Adam. Like the song says, Don't go changin'. Being who you are is what got his attention in the first place, and being who you are is what's going to keep it. You don't need to be like me or Adam. Hell I don't think we could stand the competition." He smiled, "And I know Kim couldn't put up with five of us. You're her rock man. You go changing, and we'll all be in trouble, because she'll go ballistic on us." He took a deep breath and kept going, hoping the momentum would carry him before Billy could argue him into a corner, "I'm not saying change is bad. Just be you. Everything else will fall into place." He reached down and took the device in Billy's hand and set it on the counter. "Now from one guy on the dating scene to another guy, go find your significant other and make with the quality time."  
  
For long seconds, Billy sat there contemplating Tommy's words. For a brief instance he thought Billy was suddenly going to explode on him. He found himself reacting to the Blue Ranger in a whole different way than he was accustomed to. For just an instant he questioned who was the alpha. Finally, Billy smiled, "I'll take it under consideration." Reaching back and picking up the device again, "If for no other reason, than to spare Kimberly the testosterone overload."  
  
Tommy rubbed his chin, "Me and my jaw thank you." He smiled at Billy again as he felt the tension suddenly release from himself and his friend, "Man, that girl is protective of you. Almost as much as Jason."  
  
Billy blushed again, "Yeah, well you know when you've been friends as long as she and I have, you tend to tell each other," he looked off to the side as his cheeks got even redder, "hmmmm. just about everything. I mean after all, I know more about her boyfriends than her mom ever did."  
  
Tommy smiled as he realized that Billy had just shifted the battlefield on him. He could play that game too, "That's okay Bro. You'd be surprised at what Jason tells me too."  
  
Billy looked at the ceiling, "Not really. I've heard most of it anyway." He shook his head, "You have no idea what it was like sitting there listening to him talk about his," Billy made quotation marks with his fingers, "first time."  
  
Tommy shook his head and gained a whole new insight into the mental stamina Billy had to have. To be in love with someone and have that person telling you the intimate details of an encounter with someone else. "Man that must have been rough."  
  
Billy smiled, "You better believe it."  
  
Tommy chuckled, "I wonder why he hasn't started to talking to me about you guys."  
  
Billy shook his head, "Three reasons mainly, the first being that you and I are friends, and I guess he'd feel uncomfortable telling you that kind of detail. Although Kimberly doesn't seem to have problem with it." Billy grinned.  
  
"Man, she doesn't!" Tommy protested.  
  
Billy smiled, "Let's just say I've heard about your Tarzan impersonation."  
  
Tommy shook his head, "I'm gonna' kill her."  
  
"No, you're not." Billy told him. "Just play Tarzan a little more. She won't admit to you, but she likes that one."  
  
Tommy smiled, "I am so embarrassed."  
  
"Don't be Tom," Billy told him. "She needed someone to tell, and writing things in a diary is just asking for someone to find out that's not supposed to."  
  
"I guess your right." Tommy told him. "What were the other two reasons?"  
  
Billy smiled, "Frank Scott and Edward Cranston."  
  
"Huh?" Tommy was confused.  
  
"Our dads may tell us they don't have a problem with us dating, but they sure the heck hover an awful lot lately."  
  
"You mean you guys haven't.?" Tommy looked for a word.  
  
"Had any quality time?" Billy shook his head, "We haven't even been able to talk about things without someone being around."  
  
"And you're in here," Tommy indicated the lab, "With this stuff?"  
  
Billy smiled, "Look, Jason's dad has him helping cleaning out the attic right now. After a while it just gets frustrating."  
  
Tommy looked down at his wrist bracer and saw a red dot entering Ernie's, "Well, according to my display, Jason just walked into the Youth Center. Why don't you go grab a quick shower and the rest of us will distract your dads while the two of you slip off to," he made quotation marks with his fingers, "talk."  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Linda Scott entered the Youth Center and looked around. She could see Jason sitting alone in the corner looking like someone had just kicked his puppy. Even though she'd warned Frank and Ed it would be a bad idea to crowd the boys, she knew that whether they meant to or not, they'd done it any way. "You look like you've got as big a problem as he does," a voice from the side interrupted her thoughts.  
  
Turning she faced the tall woman she knew to be the new counselor at Angel Grove High School, "Hello Ms. Stone." She smiled back in Jason's direction, "I'm just a little concerned about Jase right now. He's sort of having a rough time."  
  
The woman smiled back and indicated the chair across the table from her. "I know. He seems depressed lately. Have any idea what's going on? I mean, I assumed that since he and Billy cleared the air between them, that he'd be happy."  
  
Linda was surprised that the new counselor knew that much about her son already. It wasn't like Jason to be that forthcoming with strangers. Especially when it dealt with affairs of the heart. Heck, he'd been dating Ana Meyers for almost a month before he ever mentioned her to his parents in anything other than passing. Then again, that hadn't been serious either. "You know about that?" she asked.  
  
Ms. Stone chuckled, "Yeah, those two were dancing around each other when we first met. I think I came on the scene just in time for it to come to a boil."  
  
"I got that impression." Linda told the other woman. "The problem is that ever since Jason and Billy came out to us, Jason's and Billy's dads haven't given the boys a minute's privacy. I think they're afraid something will happen between them." She actually found herself blushing.  
  
Ms. Stone nodded, "Billy told me that you guys asked them about attending college together."  
  
"I think it was more of a reason for us to clear the air about some things," Linda told her. "Ed saw Billy kissing Jason in the park a couple of weeks ago."  
  
"He saw that?" Ms. Stone asked surprised.  
  
"You know?" Suddenly Linda realized that this woman knew more about her son and his friend's lives than she was letting on.  
  
Ms. Stone smiled, "Perhaps we should talk, Mrs. Scott. I think we may be on the same side of this issue, and if that's the case, it might help if we knew what each other knew." She ducked her head, "You know then who your son is."  
  
Linda Scott nodded, "We've known for a couple of years now." She shook her head, "Jason's really not very good a keeping secrets. He's just a little too honest and open for his own good, even when it gets him in trouble."  
  
"Obviously Mr. Cranston knows, if he's the one who saw the incident." She took a long sip of her smoothie, "How'd you find out?"  
  
Linda laughed, "Actually Frank figured it out. About two years ago, Jason was working really hard on this new karate technique. Right about the time he got it down we saw the Red Ranger use the same kick on one of Rita's monsters."  
  
Linda saw the woman's eyes light up. "Now that's ironic."  
  
Linda looked over to see if her son had noticed her presence here. She really didn't want him to think that she was treating him like his father. Leaning forward she asked, "Out of curiosity, how did you find out, Ms. Stone." Then looking around, "And how about us going somewhere else to talk about this. I don't want Jason to think that I'm spying on him."  
  
"Please, call me Murphy. The kids call me Ms. Stone." She stood up, "As for leaving, that's fine with me. The only reason I came here was because I saw Jason earlier and he looked like he could use someone to talk with."  
  
"I think the person he wants to talk with, his father won't let him have a minute of alone with," Linda told her as the two women slipped from the Youth Center and headed toward the park to discuss their charge.  
  
Five minutes later they were sitting at a park bench, "How is it that you know what's going on?" Linda asked, she was no fool, and knew that most school counselors wouldn't get within a mile of one of their students during the summer. This woman was spending entirely too much time with Jason and his friends for it to be a coincidence.  
  
Murphy smiled, "It's simple. It's my job to make sure they adapt to their new powers, and don't get themselves killed." She shook her head and her voice became serious, "I wasn't really happy when I found out that our predecessor had been using children. It's not the way things are usually done."  
  
"Their new powers, your predecessors, the way things are done?" Linda asked. She knew her son and his friends were Power Rangers, but that was as far as it went. "I think maybe you should start at the beginning."  
  
Murphy sighed and looked at her, "How much do you know?"  
  
"Only what we've been able to figure out about who is who." She smiled, "It helps that the kids tend to wear the color of their costume all the time."  
  
Murphy shook her head, "I'm surprised that nobody else has figured it out. So far, only Kyle has resisted the urge to do that. He says that he looks jaundiced in yellow." The woman leaned back on the bench and continued, "Let's see, about three years ago, somehow an ancient sorceress named Rita Repulsa who'd been imprisoned on the moon was released. The being responsible for her imprisonment was an alien named Zordon. He recruited the first five Power Rangers to deal with the threat she posed. From what I can tell from his records his only criteria for them was to be "teenagers with attitudes"." She shook her head and joked, "To be honest with you, I've yet to meet one without an attitude."  
  
Linda couldn't help but smile. She was happy to finally be getting some answers she and her husband had been wanting to ask Jason about. "I know what you mean."  
  
"Well anyway, Jason, Billy, Trini, Zack and Kimberly were those teenagers. I don't think Zordon really knew what he was getting into when he got those five. He gave them each a Power Coin that linked them to something called the Morphin' Grid. It's sort of a conduit to something that here is called The Great Power. The Power Coins let them become the Power Rangers and to operate the giant robots called Dinozords." She smiled at Linda, and asked a question of her own, "What did you do when you figured it out."  
  
Linda smiled, "I guess it took us about three months before we realized that children were the Power Rangers. That was about the time the Green Ranger joined the team, and Tommy started hanging around with the gang. We went to all the other parents about it. For a while, although we were worried, we dealt with it. I think most of Mrs. Hart's problems with Tommy have less to do with the boy than it does with the fact that Kim's the Pink Ranger. Finally, the stress was too much for the Taylors and they took Zack and moved to Iowa. That's when Adam became the new Black Ranger." She shook her head and smiled remembering how the young Korean boy had suddenly became a part of her son's friends not long after Zack moved away. "Adam's father, Donald is on the force with Frank. He's not really impressed with the idea of Power Rangers and sees them as some kind of a threat, so we thought it best not to tell him." She took a deep breath, "I guess things kind of hit us hard when Trini died. She and Kimberly are like the daughters we never had. We're not sure if we should tell Kyle's dad what we know or not."  
  
Murphy nodded, "I tend to agree. Kyle's had some problems in the past." Before Linda could ask anything, she interrupted, "None of it was his fault, it was just one of those teen age tragedy things that happens every now and again. Anyway his father is having to deal with other issues right now and finding out his son is dressing in spandex and fighting off evil invaders is probably not going to improve his situation. And right now I need Kyle on the team. He doesn't realize it, but he's giving Jason and Billy something of an anchor that they need desperately."  
  
Linda finally decided that she'd ask the question that she and Frank had spent a great deal of time discussing until the wee hours of the morning. "Just what did happen? How did Trini die? I mean that battle didn't seem to last very long."  
  
Murphy seemed to take time to consider the question before beginning. "You aren't going to remember most of it. When everything was over, reality got changed around some, to accommodate what happened that day." Her voice sounded pained.  
  
"What do you mean?" Linda asked almost afraid of the answer. Lately she'd been having nightmares of a war ravaged world, without heroes to protect humanity from alien invaders.  
  
"They lost the fight. They all died." Murphy told her simply.  
  
Linda shook her head. Although she couldn't believe it, something deep in her heart told her that this woman was telling her the truth. "But."  
  
"They got a second chance," Murphy told her. "They made a deal with some very powerful forces. They were given the chance to come back and make things right, but only at a cost."  
  
"What cost?" Linda asked. "Not their souls?" She suddenly had images of Faustian deals made in hell.  
  
Murphy chuckled, "No, not their souls. Covenant doesn't deal in souls. He wouldn't have any use for them."  
  
"Who is Covenant?"  
  
"The closest thing to a real angel you'll ever meet. He's sort of a servant of the universe. He went out of his way to save your children, but he did not make it cheap for them." Murphy told them. "Covenant values honesty, probably more than anything else. They had to agree to come back and be honest with each other and the people around them."  
  
"Hence Jason and Billy suddenly acting on the things we've been seeing build for years," Linda said. As Murphy nodded, Linda continued, "That doesn't seem to be a big price."  
  
Murphy smiled wryly, "It is for a seventeen year old, but there's a little more to it than that. Although none of them realize it yet, what they accepted, what they've become has made some pretty profound changes in them. They don't need the Morphin' Grid to access The Power any more. I think that Rita is slowly beginning to realize that there's a whole new game on the field now. When the Kregar come back, and they will be back, this is will not be the same group of teenagers they fought last time." She gave Linda a sad look, "I'm afraid their innocence is going to be another price they'll have to pay. It's not going to be a battle against some half-crazed sorceress who turns things in Kim's purse into villains, but a transdimensional empire whose sole goal is the subjugation or destruction of this planet. Rita and her ilk has pretty much left you and the rest of their families alone. The Kregar aren't going to be so accommodating." She sighed, "I've already told the boys they need to tell you who they are."  
  
Linda considered what the woman was telling her. She wasn't happy about the news about the Kregar, but she was glad she knew now. "What can we do. To help them, I mean."  
  
"Don't try to make give up the Power. That would be a bad idea. They can't do that anymore. It's a part of who they are. If you tried to make them deny it, it would probably kill them." She leaned forward, "You're probably not going to like the next part, but I think you need to give Jase and Billy some room. The depend on each other a great deal. They need to figure out who they are as a couple, and right now keeping them under your thumb is distracting them a whole lot more than any game of swapping spit might." Linda could sense a deep hurt in the woman's voice, "There is something you need to realize about The Power, the vast majority of all males who wield it prefer their own gender. I'm not saying that there aren't any straight boys out there with it, but they're few and far between. I think it's one of the biggest jokes the universe has ever played on humans. Gay men are seen as less than male somehow, yet most of the greatest heroes of the multiverse are queer as a football bat."  
  
"That'll make Frank happy," Linda told her sardonically. "The very thing that makes Jason a defender of the planet made him gay."  
  
Murphy reached across the table and patted Linda's hand, her southern accent suddenly becoming deeper, "No. The fact that he is gay allows him to wield that power."  
  
Linda could see a hurt in Murphy's eyes that ran as deep as that she saw in the face of one of her oldest and dearest friends. A thought came to her mind. This woman had gone out of her way to help her son cope with the Power that was growing in him. Maybe she could do something for her in return, and help another old friend at the same time. "Tell you what, why don't we go distract Frank and Ed and give the boys a chance to at least talk." She blushed before saying, "and maybe get a little necking in on the side." She couldn't believe she just said that.  
  
**************************************************************** 


	2. Second Chances Saga: Clashes of Color

The Second Chances Saga: Chapter 2: Clash of Colors Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
Jason watched as Tommy got up to leave the table. He couldn't believe what the Green Ranger had told him. He and Billy really needed to talk, but it seems like every time it looked like they were going to get a minute alone, something or someone interrupted them. He was beginning to believe there was some kind of conspiracy going on to- not keep them apart- but to keep them from spending any time alone with each other.  
  
He'd been thinking a lot about what happened in the park that day the Kregar warriors attacked them. The day that Billy had done something so out of character that it had shocked him- the day that Billy had actually kissed him. He remembered the feelings that it had elicited from him. He'd always known he'd loved the Blue Ranger, but for some reason just how much he loved the other boy had never dawned on him. As he thought back on the past few years, he could not put a time to the point at which the feelings had gone from the love a brother he never had, to something more, something deeper.  
  
At first, he thought it might have been last year when Revenger had hurled Billy off the top of the Kingsley Building. That monster had been looking for the notorious Black Ranger from years ago. Adam had been out of town that day, and Billy had loaned his blue flannel shirt to Trini who was cold from swimming. Underneath the shirt, Billy was wearing an old black tee, so the Revenger had thought he'd caught the Black Ranger unmorphed. Before anyone could react, he'd picked Billy up and tossed him off the building. To this day, Jason couldn't forget the feelings of anger and shock that washed over him. He and Tommy literally ripped the Revenger limb from limb before getting down to where Billy lay crumpled on the ground. The thing that had saved the unmorphed Blue Ranger from certain death was that just like in the movies, he actually managed to hit one of those cloth awnings they put in front of buildings and it broke his fall enough to let him survive. Jason had gone into shock when they'd gotten Billy to the hospital.  
  
Jason understood that he had just started to recognize the feelings he had for Billy then, but that they'd been there for a long time. Unfortunately, at the time it took everything he had to hold it together, to keep the team from being revealed to their parents. He still couldn't believe their fantastic luck and how much their parents trusted them, that they bought the flimsy story of Billy falling off the building while helping Kim with a science project for school. Still, he realized that the feelings had been there a long time even then, he'd just refused to recognize them.  
  
Facing Billy's near-death had forced him to reconsider a lot of things in his life, not the least of which was his own preconceptions about what masculinity was. For the longest time he denied what he was feeling: I'm a football player, not a ballet dancer, and was absolutely terrified of how Billy would react if he knew that Jason's own thoughts had crossed the line from brother to something else. Not long ago Billy had made it clear that his own thoughts had been less than platonic. But damn it, they hadn't had a minute alone together to talk about it.  
  
Hell, Jason wasn't even sure how to go about dating, or even being with another man. He knew what he wanted, what he wanted to do, but he had no experience with it. He was scared and confused and that was a condition he didn't like to be in. Now here, Tommy had come to him to let him know that he'd talked to Billy, about the changes they'd all seen lately in the Blue Ranger.  
  
To Jason's great surprise, Tommy informed him that Billy was afraid of losing him, so he was trying to be more- aggressive, more male. Once again, he felt the confusion rise in him about what it meant to be male. He wondered if the behavior that Billy had been exhibiting lately, the hyper-assertiveness, the sudden willingness to escalate the fight was an attempt to make Jason understand that he was still male.  
  
Jason thought about that a minute. Did he see Billy as just a surrogate female? Was that what he was wanting- a female version of Billy? He shook his head at that thought. No, Billy was definitely male, and Jason didn't want him any other way. He thought of the way the light would play off his sandy blond hair, or the those piercing blue-green eyes peering back from behind the glasses. He remembered the other day at the Command Center the way the water in the showers would play down the finely sculpted muscles of his chest and hard abs to disappear into the .. Whoa! Where did that come from? Jason shook his head and realized that no, he definitely didn't want to see Billy as a woman. He liked him- no loved him just the way he is.  
  
He'd managed to finally slip away from his house, finishing the attic earlier than he or his dad had expected. His father, a detective on the Angel Grove Police Force had been called away to an emergency and Jason had the rest of the day to himself. He tried to call Billy but nobody was answering the phone, so here he was at Ernie's sipping his favorite cherry smoothie and missing Billy. "Jason, we need to talk," the last voice he expected to hear interrupted his self-condemnation.  
  
Looking up he smiled at Billy, "Sure we're going to get a chance to?" He looked around and found the place deserted, "I mean any minute now, you're dad or mine is going to come through that door and find something else for one of us to do around the house."  
  
Billy laughed and sat down at the table, his own spinach and prune juice smoothie in hand. "I don't think so. My dad had to run up to San Francisco for his company suddenly, and I peeked into your attic, it looks empty."  
  
Jason had an idea, "You want to slip off somewhere and talk then?" He looked around guiltily. "I thought I saw my mom and Ms. Stone here earlier, but it looks like we might actually get a little time to ourselves."  
  
Billy nodded and smiled, remembering a line from a movie he and his dad watched together recently and replied, "wicked."  
  
Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Billy's living room, with absolutely nothing to say. A hundred things were running through Jason's mind, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how to put them into words. From the chagrined looks Billy was giving him from across the table, he decided he wasn't the only one in the room at a sudden loss for words. Finally, he sighed, "I'm not sure where to start."  
  
Billy laughed, "Me either."  
  
"Jason.,"Billy began  
  
"Billy.,"Jason said simultaneously  
  
They laughed and Jason realized how good it felt. Finally, Billy nodded and said, "You go first."  
  
Jason put down his soda and smiled, "You don't have to prove anything to me, Billy. We've been friends for too long for you to suddenly start changing into something you think I want you to be." He smiled, "You should know me better than that."  
  
Jason saw Billy blush, "I do, deep down I guess." He reached for his face, and Jason realized that Billy wasn't wearing his glasses. Looking closely, he could see the faint outline of contacts around the blue-green irises of the Blue Ranger's eyes. Reaching for his glasses was just a nervous habit. His face suddenly became serious, and Jason knew that a conflict was being resolved in that incomprehensible mind of his. He sighed deeply, and committed himself to whatever train of thought he'd decided upon. "What happened in that battle with the Kregar before we met Covenant, the one where we died has forced me to reevaluate my standing on the team." Jason began to protest, but Billy cut him off with a wave of his hand, "Hear me out, Jase. I know that you've spent half your life protecting me. In school, it was from bullies, and later from Rita and then Rita and Zedd. I know that you've always taken a few extra seconds in a fight to make sure I was okay before you handled the things you had to do." He took a deep breath, "I can't let you keep doing that, Jase. That puts you in danger, and I will not be the cause of your death a second time."  
  
Jason was floored by what Billy said. He knew it was the truth, he'd always kept an eye out for Billy, even checking on him in a fight, but that was Jase's nature. That was what he did. He was the original Big Red Schoolboy. Okay, he knew it wasn't quite the right color for that quote, but the sentiment applied nonetheless. However, Billy was not the reason Jason had died in that battle. Billy could no more have averted it than Jason could have stopped Billy from getting killed when Kim's Pterodactyl crashed into the Triceratops. "You didn't cause my death in that fight Billy. The Kregar did."  
  
Billy nodded, "I know Jase, but.,"  
  
Jason held up a hand, "I heard you out, now you hear me out. I'll admit that I take a few extra seconds to make sure you're safe before a fight starts. I've always watched out for you, Bro-," he saw Billy start to protest, "no Bro's not right, Tommy's my Bro, you're something more- and heaven help me I always will be able to do that. It's what I do. I do it because I love you. I always have loved you." He shook his head, "I don't know when it shifted from being the love of the little brother I always wanted to being something more, but it did. Somewhere along the line, and I don't know when it happened, Athos and Aramis got a whole lot closer than Dumas ever meant for them to." He smiled, "I'm not complaining mind you, I'm just trying to put it into perspective." He reached across the table and touched Billy's hand. "Yes, I've watched out for you, and I want to go on watching out for you."  
  
He watched as Billy considered what he had to say, "I know that. But I think it's about time I pulled my own weight on the team."  
  
"What ever gave you the idea that you don't pull your weight?" Jason asked.  
  
"I'm barely a red belt, Jase. Even Kyle is better than I am," he gave Jason a wry smile.  
  
"Yes, Kyle is more athletic, but he's also coming from a long history of physical training. What he does as tumbler adapts very easily to combat. But as for barely being a red belt Bill," Jason purposefully used the more adult sounding name, "he's not better than you. What you lack, or think you lack in official belts, you more than make up for in sheer experience and skill. You may not know all the katas, but you surpassed most combat- style, and I'd say all tournament-style black belts a year ago. Don't look so surprised, it's true if for no other reason than, just from constantly fighting things that wanted to kill you." He got up and moved to the sofa to sit next to Billy, "As for pulling your weight, from the tapes I saw of the fight with Temblor and that bunch, you and Adam more than handled the problem. You fought well, you kept you cool, and you came up with a plan, executed it and pretty much single handedly captured them. You rebuilt the 'zords, adapted the new morphers, and hacked the new Command Center's computer systems. If anything, the rest of us aren't pulling our own weight around you."  
  
Billy shook his head, "You don't mind that the only reason I go the karate classes is so I can spend time with you, and the rest of the gang?"  
  
"Not at all," Jase told him, "You don't have to like everything I like." Jason smiled mischievously and lightly punched his friend in the arm, "If you did then we'd never have anything to grump about and then make up for."  
  
Billy smiled, "There is that."  
  
Jason continued, "But seriously, I would like you to continue with the classes though. Not because I want you to like the same things I like, and not just to spend time with me, although I like that idea. I want you to keep coming so that you'll stay in practice," he smiled at Billy, "and maybe eventually get it through that thick skull of yours that you're not just a red belt."  
  
Billy laughed, "Okay, okay, I'll take my sensei's advice."  
  
A thought occurred to Jason, "That can make things interesting." He pulled Billy's face around to look at him, "don't take this wrong. I love spending time with you, but I think it might be a good idea if you switched over to Tommy' class." He smiled, "That way my dad can't accuse us of groping during class."  
  
Billy snapped his fingers and grinned mischievously, his voice dropping an octave, "drat, there go all those potential nefarious plans." He looked up Jason, his expression changing. Jase could see the old nervousness come back to Billy's demeanor, "about this boyfriend thing?" He let the words hang.  
  
Jason moved closer and took Billy's hand in his own massive one. He could smell the spicy scent of Billy's cologne and was surprised at the reaction it was causing in him. "Yeah, about that. Do you think I could get some clarification," he tried to bring some humor to Billy's question. In reality, Jason was just as confused and nervous himself.  
  
"Jase, I'm serious here," Billy said.  
  
"Hey, I am too," Jase backed away just a minute to give Billy some room to think.  
  
Billy shook his head, "I've never been a boyfriend before, much less had one. How do we go about this thing?" He smiled, "I know what I want, I know what I feel, but I lack practical experience."  
  
Suddenly Jason realized something. He'd known Billy was inexperienced, but hadn't really considered just how inexperienced. "Are you telling me you've never kissed anyone before that day in the park?"  
  
Billy nodded, "Only distant relatives, and then on the cheek."  
  
Jason hoped the shock didn't show in his face, "that was your first kiss?"  
  
"I believe I just indicated that Jason." Billy sounded hurt, "You don't have to rub my face in the fact. I haven't exactly had as many willing partners with which to experiment as you."  
  
Jason was confused, "huh?"  
  
Billy looked down, Jason barely heard him mutter, "how many girlfriends have you had? How many have I had?"  
  
Suddenly it hit Jason what Billy was trying to tell him, "Oh my God! You sat there and listened to me go on about Ana, all the time wishing it was you?"  
  
He slapped his own forehead, "I am such a jerk!"  
  
"No, you didn't know," Billy protested.  
  
"Oh man, that's rough," Jason reached out and put his arm around Billy, pulling him to him.  
  
"It could have been worse," Billy said.  
  
"I don't see how?" Jason remembering telling Billy about the night things had gotten way out of hand with him and Ana.  
  
Billy looked over and smiled sadly, "It could have been an Andrew."  
  
Jason took Billy's face and turned it toward him, "That, will never happen. I've been such an idiot these past few years. Until recently I hadn't realized just how much of place you took up in my heart. Even if you get tired of me, I'll always love you Billy. I'll never leave you."  
  
Billy smiled at him, "Speaking of things that will never happen, me getting tired of you is at the top of that list."  
  
Jason smiled back at him, "Good. That's straight now."  
  
Billy shook his head, "No. It's cleared up. It's not straight."  
  
It took Jase a second to realize that his friend was actually joking with him. He laughed, "Oh and by the way?" Billy gave him a questioning look as he reached up to clasp the hand Jason had at his cheek. Jason was surprised at the quite strength he felt in that hand. For the first time in his life, he understood what the term velvet coated iron meant. "Judging by that kiss in the park, you're a natural." He gave Billy a wicked smile, "You just need some practice."  
  
"Perhaps I can find an instructor," Billy said. "Maybe Tommy?"  
  
"Not if Kimberly wants to keep him." Jason told him. "Nah, but I know of even a better instructor that has the afternoon off. He can fit you in."  
  
Billy raised an eyebrow at that, "Interesting choice of words." He smiled and leaned in close, his lips almost touching Jason's. Jason caught the light scent of the cinnamon Altoids Billy liked so much. "Exactly what does he want to fit in where?"  
  
Jason leaned forward and kissed Billy, pulling the other boy to him. He felt as much as heard Billy groan, as the Blue Ranger opened his mouth to invite Jason in. At some point, Jason remembered that he needed to breath, and pulled back slightly, not quite wanting to break the kiss just yet. He could feel his pulse pound in his veins and realized that no girl he'd ever been with had elicited this kind of reaction from him. He pulled back from the kiss suddenly as he realized what that meant to him. Looking at the questioning expression on Billy's face he felt the last of his doubts crumble, and leaned back into the kiss, this time, throwing everything he had into it. To his surprise Billy matched his passion and raised the stakes.  
  
Finally, the Blue Ranger pulled back, a look of concern on his own face. "Jase, we need to talk before this goes any further," Billy told him, slightly out of breath.  
  
"What about?" Jason asked.  
  
"Exactly how far we're willing to let this go right now," Billy answered.  
  
Jason thought about what he'd been asked and realized how profound it really was. Would Jason be willing to go all the way with a girl he'd been out with this soon in a relationship? He realized that although his and Billy's relationship wasn't exactly new, but this phase of it was. He realized that out of respect for himself and Billy, as well as for what he knew he wanted to build with the Blue Ranger, they'd have to go slow. Finally, he shook his head, "Eventually all the way. But right now I don't think either of us is ready for that yet."  
  
Billy nodded, "I concur." He smiled, "But the level of contact we were just experiencing is acceptable to me for now." He looked around and blushed deeply, "As long as there is nobody else present."  
  
Jason smiled, "So for now, necking in your dad's living room is okay, as long as we're alone. But no swapping spit in the park."  
  
"Jason!" Billy protested, "that is not a very attractive term to use." He shook his head, and Jason knew Billy's protests were more out of teasing than any real discomfort. He smiled up at him shyly, "But could we continue with the experiment?"  
  
"Oh, definitely," Jason pulled Billy back to him. Just before they resumed the kiss however, something seemed to occur to Billy and the smaller boy broke off giggling. "What?" Jason asked.  
  
"I was just thinking," Billy said.  
  
"What about?" Jason queried.  
  
"Your analogy earlier," Billy told him, "Aramis eventually becomes a priest." He gave Jason a long hard look, "Just wanted to let you know, that I'm not Catholic."  
  
"Billy, I know," Jason told him.  
  
"Just so you know I have no plans for the priesthood," Billy smiled and pulled Jason into a rather fierce kiss.  
  
"Good," Jason mumbled just before their lips touched. ******************************************************** 


	3. Bonds Some frank discussion about that m...

"You definitely need more yellow in your wardrobe," Kimberly told Kyle as they made their way through the men's department at Macy's. "Not the bright yellow that everybody seems to want to put you in, but more of tarnished gold." She smiled at him. "It would set off your eyes."  
  
"You mean something more like a bronze?" Kyle asked her holding up a sweater with gold and black running through it. Kimberly was surprised she'd actually found another ranger willing to shop with her. In the past only Trini and occasionally Billy were brave enough to venture into Stone Canyon Mall with her. Kyle evidently was more at home in the mall than even Trini was.  
  
"Yeah," she said taking the sweater from him, "but not that."  
  
"Why not?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Not the right climate for it. Around here, you may wrap that around your shoulders, but not wear it. It's too hot." She looked around in disgust. Most of this fall stuff was not even going to be worn by most Angel Grovers. It was meant to be worn on skiing trips to north.  
  
Kyle just sighed at her, "Well, there goes half my winter wardrobe." He gave her wicked look, "It does get cold in Kentucky you know."  
  
"Kyle, you shouldn't NEED a winter wardrobe for the next few years. At least until you acclimatize. You're probably going to be hot most of the time." She grinned wickedly at him, "Look at this way, it's an excuse for more shopping."  
  
To her great surprise the raven haired boy grinned back, "yeah!"  
  
"So, what do you think of Adam?" Kimberly asked innocently.  
  
Kyle shrugged while looking at a dark gold polo shirt, "He's nice. He at least talks to me."  
  
"What? I talk to you," Kim protested.  
  
"Yeah, but Adam comes over to the gym and talks to me. We usually go afterwards to the dojo, he wipes the floor up with me for a while and then for smoothies." Kyle smiled over at her, "By the way, thanks."  
  
"For?" she asked picking up a dark pair of slack with a slight gold thread running through them to hold next to the shirt. Shaking her head at the mismatch- they were just a shade or two off from being right- she looked at him questioningly.  
  
"Loaning Adam the LAST HERALD MAGE series," he told her.  
  
"Why are you thanking me for that? Those are Billy's books. I just thought Adam would like the story. Billy was telling me about it, and Adam is almost as much a fantasy-phile as Billy."  
  
Kyle raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does Billy know you're stealing his vocabulary?"  
  
Kim held a finger to her lips and smiled, "Shhh, I only play a ditz on television." She shrugged, "besides, with Billy as friend, you tend to pick up words quickly."  
  
"Well anyway, he said the books helped him understand what was going on between Billy, and Jason," Kyle replied, but Kim got the impression he meant more than he said.  
  
"And what it might be like for you?" she added quietly.  
  
Kyle nodded and chuckled, "and what it might be like for me." Turning, he was silent for long minutes as he lay out a few shirts. Kim noticed that most of them still ran toward blacks but there was a great deal of gold in them too.  
  
"You're hurting over someone aren't you?" Kimberly finally broke the silence.  
  
Kyle shrugged looked down, "What do you think?"  
  
Kimberly reached across and pulled his face around to force him to look at her, "I think you're hurting, but healing, that maybe you're starting to see that life does go on."  
  
"For an air-headed mall rat, Kimberly Hart, you're pretty astute," Kyle replied.  
  
"It's all part of my act," she told him. "It hides the fact that I'm a straight-A student, and can understand Billy most of the time," she grinned thinking of listening to her oldest friend in the world espouse on his latest idea, "as long as he doesn't get too technical."  
  
She saw some realization reach Kyle's eyes. He stopped and looked at her closely. "Don't take this wrong, because I know you really love Tommy." He paused a second, and rubbed his chin. "But somehow I get the feeling that if Billy was straight- and I'll bet you've known he isn't for a long time- that Tommy might just have a little competition from our Blue friend."  
  
Kimberly felt herself blush deeply, "Now what ever would make you think that?" she asked. She held up a pair of basic black slacks. "Now these pants would go really well with those shirts."  
  
Kyle just smiled as if realizing that he'd get neither affirmation nor denial from her, and took the slacks. "I'll try these on." He turned before entering the changing rooms, "Just how long have known that Billy's gay?"  
  
"Oh, I've suspected since junior high school," she told him.  
  
"What made you suspect it?" Kyle asked from in the changing rooms.  
  
"I guess just women's intuition." She laughed quietly to herself, "Just remember, if Billy comes to you talking about electronic mind-reading devices, run. Run as far, and as fast as you can."  
  
"Huh?" Kyle asked coming out of the dressing rooms. Kimberly couldn't help but notice that he had a particular style that was extremely attractive. Not that she would consider ever being unfaithful to Tommy, but just like the guys, she could appreciate beauty when she saw it, and right now, she was definitely seeing it. What was it Tommy was kidding Jason about? It doesn't matter where you got your appetite, just as long as you eat at home.  
  
"It's a long story, and I'll tell you about it sometimes. Let's just say that Billy and I got a chance to see how each other lived a few years back. It's not an experience I would want to repeat, but one that really opened my eyes about our friend." She told the new Yellow Ranger, as he looked at several other articles of clothing to try on.  
  
"I can imagine," he smiled back at her. Then as if something had just occurred to him, "Kim, why did you ask me about Adam?"  
  
"No reason," Kimberly shrugged. "You two are just spending a lot of time together."  
  
".And because I'm gay, you thought there might be more going on there than just friends," Kyle finished with a half-amused voice. He shook his head, "I'm not looking for a new boyfriend, Kim. I don't think it's a good idea to get romantically involved with anyone. It ends up hurting them, sometimes dead-type hurting."  
  
Kim thought about the sadness that always seemed to hover about the raven-haired boy. She'd gotten the impression from Adam that something pretty terrible had happened to him back in Kentucky, but he had yet to mention any of it to her. "I wasn't trying to play matchmaker or anything."  
  
He smiled at her, and she realized briefly that the smile was genuine, and for some reason that fact made her very glad. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you didn't. I like Adam too much to put him through what I went through back home." He shook his head, "Right now, I think I'll concentrate on seeing what I can do to make it easier for Jase and Billy."  
  
"What do you mean make it easier for Jase and Billy?" Kim asked warily.  
  
Kyle smiled at her, "Kim, you have such an open and giving heart that you don't always see the ugliness in other people. School starts back next week, and when it gets out that Billy and Jase are dating, those two are going to be in for a rough time." Kim started to come to Jase's defense, but Kyle continued before she could reply, "I know Jase is the big karate hero and football player, but I also know how people see guys like us. It doesn't matter how big we are, how mean we are or if we can whip our weight in snarks, they still see us as being weak because of our orientation. There are people who are going to think that just because Jase's is gay that he's an easy mark for physical abuse." There was a deep hurt in his voice as he rubbed his left forearm. "And I promise you, the things that will be said to him and Billy are going to be even worse." He sighed, "I just want to make sure that they know that there is at least one person who knows what they're going through."  
  
Kimberly listened to what Kyle had to say. She found herself strangely proud to call him friend. Without even thinking she reached out and hugged him. "That's sweet."  
  
Kyle shook his head and grinned, "Nah. It's self preservation. Stay in good with the team leader."  
  
As they headed toward the cashier she stopped and gently put a hand on Kyle's arm. The shorter boy turned and she told him, "Just remember Kyle, this is California, not Kentucky. Things are a little more accepted here."  
  
Kyle shrugged, "Tell that to that actor that just got hit his head busted in for being gay, in West Hollywood no less."  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
"She wasn't kidding!" Adam told Tommy, knowing the surprise in his voice was clear. "Here they are. It's a list of names and addresses for possible replacement rangers. My name is even on here." Tommy looked over his shoulder, and Adam couldn't help but notice the scent of the taller boy's cologne. For some reason it made his heart beat just a little faster. Shaking his head stop it! he thought to himself. You're not that way! You've been hanging around Kyle way too much! Still he couldn't deny what seemed to be happening to his body.  
  
Tommy rubbed the side of his face, "Hmmm, notice who's name isn't on here."  
  
Adam looked up wondering what the Green Ranger was talking about, while trying to ignore the growing tightness in his own jeans. "No,"  
  
Tommy looked down at him and smiled, "You're newest bestest buddy, Kyle." Tommy looked back up at Zordon's list. "He's not on here. Evidently Zordon didn't think he was Ranger material."  
  
"Well, somebody did, because there's no denying that he's holding the Yellow." Adam found himself suddenly defensive of his friend.  
  
Tommy must have heard the tone in his voice, "Whoa there chief, I wasn't saying that he isn't a Ranger, or that he's not qualified, just that he's not on Zordon's list."  
  
"Maybe it's because he's new to the area," Adam suggested meekly.  
  
"You may be right," Tommy replied, but for some reason Adam wasn't sure that he believed it. "Hmmm, let's see, who all is on here, Rocky DeSantos from Stone Canyon," Tommy looked down at him, "Looks like your buddy made the cut." Turning back he continued, "Aisha Campbell, another friend of yours if I'm not mistaken, and somebody named Katherine Hillard." Tommy sat back and gave Adam a long look, his chocolate brown eyes unreadable. Finally he shook he said. "Speaking of our Yellow Ranger, how're things going with him?"  
  
"Why you askin' me?" Adam asked defensively.  
  
"Because you're the one spending the most time with him." He smiled, "I appreciate that too. Between my own training, and Kimberly I don't have much time to break in the new kid on the block, and I know that Jason's been busy lately, so that's sort of left it up to you to make him feel at home." Tommy put a hand on his shoulder. "Where is he by the way?"  
  
Adam gave Tommy a wicked smile, "You mean you don't know?" Adam loved teasing Tommy.  
  
Tommy shook his head, "No."  
  
"He's got a date." Adam told him.  
  
Tommy looked surprised, "Man, those farm boys move fast. Who with?"  
  
"Kimberly," It was everything Adam could do not to snicker. "He's taking her shopping. He keeps it up and he's going to steal your girlfriend away, Oliver."  
  
Tommy shrugged, "Not really. He just wants her for her keen fashion sense." Both boys broke out giggling. Finally, Tommy stopped snickering and looked over at Adam, "Who's buying this trip or is it just window shopping?"  
  
Adam snickered, "I think Kyle is. He said something about a lot of his clothes being damaged during the move from back East." He smiled, "I think Kimberly is going to try to get him to wear more yellow."  
  
Tommy chuckled, "It's funny, we all seem to do that, but for some reason Kyle is fighting it tooth and nail."  
  
"I think he sees black as a mourning color and doesn't want to take it off just yet," Adam told him. His long talks with the new Yellow Ranger had left him with the impression that he was still hurting a great deal over the death of his- well to be honest, Adam didn't know if Kyle and the other boy had ever been actual lovers or not- 'friend'. "To be honest, I think he's afraid that if he takes off the black, it means that he's forgotten his friend, and he's not quite ready for that."  
  
"Friend?" Tommy asked, "I got the impression that they were more than that."  
  
Adam shrugged, unsure as to how much he should say. While what was said between him and Kyle wasn't necessarily confidential, Adam still didn't feel comfortable telling Tommy the things they'd talked about. "It's as good a term as any," Adam told him.  
  
Tommy raised an eyebrow, "you're not still having problems with Kyle being gay are you?"  
  
Adam smiled at him, "No, not at all. It's just that he and I talked about what happened to him back in Kentucky, and I'm not sure if they were lovers yet or not, or how Kyle would describe them. I didn't want to make any assumptions that might hurt him."  
  
He watched Tommy sigh and lean back in one of the Command Center's plush chairs. He liked the addition of comfortable seating. It didn't make him feel like he'd been sent to the principals office all the time. "You're a good guy, you know that Adam Park?"  
  
Adam just shrugged, "I'm just trying not to spread rumors."  
  
"Good." Tommy smiled. "I get the feeling there's going to be enough rumors flying about all of us in a few weeks anyway."  
  
"Why's that?" Adam asked.  
  
"Once it gets around about Billy and Jason, I get the feeling things are going to get pretty cold for those of us who are their friends."  
  
Adam hadn't thought about that. He remembered some of the conversations he and Rocky used to have. His friend would say some pretty nasty things about 'fags' and 'queers'. He'd only said it once around the house, and it was within earshot of Adam's dad, who made it clear that such talk was not going to be tolerated at the Park residence. Adam's uncle Sean and his life-partner Alex still spent every New Year with them, and Adam enjoyed their visits immensely. "Once Jase busts some of their heads I don't think anybody will give them too much trouble."  
  
Tommy leaned forward, "I'm afraid it won't work quite like that. Fighting will only make it worse for them. Besides, most of it will be just little niggling things, said and done to make trouble. I'm afraid anybody that hangs around them is going to be in for some of it too." He put a hand on Adam's shoulder, "Think you can handle it?"  
  
"Tom," Adam locked eyes with the Green Ranger, "Jase and Billy are my friends. I've stood by them fighting a giant yellow winged ape. High school bullies are nothing." He gave Tommy a joking smile, "How 'bout you? You think you're reformed bad-boy kick-ass karate dude reputation can stand up being ragged for hanging around with a couple of," he made quotation signs with his fingers, "fags".  
  
Tommy smiled, "I think I can handle it." Adam saw something else in his eye too, and in a brief flash of insight, he realized that Tommy would be willing to kick in the gates of hell for his friends. He told Adam without reservation, "Besides, as Jason would say, it's the right thing to do." ************************************************************* 


	4. Ragnarok: A New Ending

The Second Chances Saga: Ragnarok: A new ending. Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
I'm sorry that this is late.  
  
Special Note: Thanks to Dagmar Buse and ScarletDeva for all the extra help. There's a special homage to one of my favorite Dagmar stories in her. Also thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed reading these as much as I'm enjoying writing them. (Irinia your's is a little better hidden. Grammar indeed!)  
  
Tommy smiled, "I think I can handle it." Adam saw something else in his eye too, and in a brief flash of insight, he realized that Tommy would be willing to kick in the gates of hell for his friends. He told Adam without reservation, "Besides, as Jason would say, it's the right thing to do."  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"I don't know what was said to who, but things are finally calming down for us," Jason told Kimberly. They were all on the back patio at Jason's house getting ready for a cook-out and discussing the recent changes in both Ed Cranston and Frank Scott. The two fathers had suddenly stopped hovering over the boys like a couple of hens watching their chicks, and were giving them room to discover what they really meant to each other.  
  
"Whom," Billy said quietly."  
  
"Huh?" Jason asked.  
  
"What was said to WHOM," he stressed the last word.  
  
"Oh," Jason replied. "Sorry, I wasn't worrying too much about grammar."  
  
"We can tell," the Blue Ranger teased him, as he lay out the eating accoutrements. "But nonetheless, Jason is of course correct. Our parents have ceased any attempts to prevent us from being together unsupervised."  
  
"Huh" Kyle asked, as he mentally defined all the words. Finally, the realization of what Billy meant slowly took form, and he said, "Oh".  
  
"So, everybody ready for school to start back Monday?" Adam asked. He found himself just a little concerned about the prospects of the situation he and Tommy had discussed. He knew that Jason would be able to deal with almost anything, but he worried about Billy and his only recently gained self-esteem. Looking over at the Blue Ranger, he wondered just how he would deal with some of the nastier aspects of high school. Slowly he came to realize that maybe he'd be okay. After all, Billy had been dealing with bullies since elementary school.  
  
Kyle on the other hand was a different story. Adam wasn't sure how his newest friend would handle dealing with The Power, a new school, and the general animosity he was going to face for being as open about his sexuality as he obviously was. Plus Kimberly's gymnastic coach was beginning to get that look in his eye whenever he saw Kim and Kyle together. Adam had seen that look before in the eyes of his own karate coach. It meant one word- Gold.  
  
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Kyle grinned, "Watch out Angel Grove High, here I come!" He said from the low wall at the side of the ornamental pond in the back yard. The others had told him on numerous occasions that that wall had been installed not long after the other four had entered sixth grade. Evidently, Kim had gotten a bee in her bonnet about something and had backed Jason across the back yard and almost into the pond while lecturing him at the top of her lungs. He'd been told it was very mature lecture, complete with the requisite, "did not, did too," and at least one person, who of course shall remain nameless, sticking her tongue out. The Scott's had installed the low wall to prevent any further mishaps.  
  
"Why does that thought worry me a great deal?" Mrs. Scott asked Kyle smilingly as she came out the back door carrying a big bowl of fresh fruit.  
  
Kyle grinned at his hostess as he came down from the wall, and took the bowl from her. "Because of my charming personality and stunning good looks?" he joked. Adam was glad to see that his new friend was beginning to come out of the dark shell he'd tended to wrap himself in. He realized that Kyle was beginning to move on, and allow himself to heal. Somehow that made Adam feel both better, and just a little afraid.  
  
"Young man, you are incorrigible!" Mrs. Scott smiled.  
  
"That's what my dad tells me too, Mrs. Scott," Kyle grinned and put the food onto the table. "By the way, thank you for hosting this little back to school blowout for us."  
  
"You're of course welcome." She smiled at the rest of them as she returned to the house, "All of you." She stopped at the back door, "Oh Jason, would you go ahead and get the grill ready, so that all we have to do is light in when your father gets here." She paused for a second and smiled before correcting herself, "On second thought, maybe you should go ahead and light it so all we have to do is put the food on. We would like to eat before dark."  
  
Everybody laughed; it was a running joke that while Mr. Scott was a great cook, he couldn't get a grill started in under three hours to save his life. Adam jumped down from his perch on the picnic table and followed Jase to the back shed, "I'll give hand, man."  
  
"Jase, you thought much about school since you and Billy started dating?" Adam asked trying to sound casual, as he grabbed an armload of charcoal briquettes.  
  
Jason looked over at him, "What'cha mean?"  
  
"Well, I was just thinking about how things are going to be different around school when word gets out that you two are more than just friends," Adam said. "I mean, people can be pretty mean, and I'm not just talking Bulk and Skull. I don't want to see you or Billy get hurt."  
  
Jason stopped and looked at him, "I hadn't thought much about it, Bro. I've sort of been busy sorting out my own feelings." He shook his head, "But, we'll deal with it."  
  
"Well, if you need anybody to talk to.," Adam let the words hang.  
  
"Thanks man. I appreciate it," He told Adam as they carried the cook-out supplies back to the yard.  
  
"No problem." Adam replied.  
  
"I've never really attended such functions in the past beyond that of support staff," Billy was saying, "so I don't think it will be a problem."  
  
"Well Jason has, so one of you are going to have to make some kind of adjustment to your habits," Tommy was kidding the Blue Ranger.  
  
"What?" Jason asked.  
  
"We were discussing what you two were going to do about the Fall Mixer," Kimberly smiled and replied.  
  
"If I understand the purpose of that dance, it is to primarily introduce the freshman and new students to AGHS, so our presence really isn't necessary. We both are after all, seniors." Billy told her.  
  
"You know I hadn't considered that," Jason said thinking. He looked over at Billy, "You want to go to the dance?"  
  
Before Billy could reply Kimberly protested, "Jason, if you're going to ask him to the dance, ask him to the dance. Don't make it sound like an afterthought." She turned to Tommy with a warning tone said, "You taking notes?"  
  
"Yes, Beautiful," Tommy answered dutifully.  
  
"I don't know." Billy replied with a mock tone of apathy, "I might get a better offer."  
  
That stopped Adam in his tracks. He'd never heard Billy be this casual about social interactions in his life. Jason's reply was almost as uncharacteristic. "You do, and I'll beat him up."  
  
Everybody laughed, and the seriousness of their tones degenerated into their normal light banter. Adam simply sat and watched as everyone slipped into only slightly modified versions of their old roles. Billy and Jason did keep stealing small touches and glances at each other, but for the most part everything was back to normal. For the first time, he realized that the normal didn't include Trini, and that small amount of guilt he felt at that was lost in his understanding that she'd made her own peace with the universe.  
  
*************************  
  
An hour later, Jason sat down at the table next to Adam with his plate piled high with food. Billy and Tommy quietly had their heads together whispering something, and every now and again one or the other would giggle. He smiled over at them and asked Kimberly, "What's with those two?"  
  
Kimberly shrugged, "Beats me."  
  
Both boys looked up, chuckled, and pointed toward Kyle. Tommy laughed maniacally and rubbed his hands together, "We're plotting the defeat of B- Ball Team 2."  
  
"In your dreams falcon-breath," Jason told him and winked at Kimberly.  
  
"What's B-ball Team 2?" Kyle asked.  
  
"You're team," Jason said. "The one that loses regularly."  
  
"You mean basketball?" Kyle smiled big. Jason felt just a twinge of worry when he said, "Ahh basketball." He gave a Jason a low look, "You do realize that where I come from basketball is the state sport. Whole schools are built around it. You cut me, I bleed UK blue."  
  
Kim glance worried over at him and Adam, "Uh oh."  
  
"We'll see just how good you are after dinner," Jase said as everyone's eyes turned to the back gate.  
  
Jason turned to look in that direction and felt his jaw drop. Ms. Stone came walking through the gate carrying a bowl of something. She was dressed in pair of khaki walking shorts and a lavendar peasant blouse. Next to her was Mr. Cranston, and they had the look about them that they'd just arrived together. "I'm sorry we're late," Ms. Stone said, "I'm not quite unpacked in my place yet, and was having problems finding everything." She held up the bowl, "But I did bring a peace offering, homemade southern banana pudding."  
  
Kimberly leaned over next to Billy and Jason heard her whisper, "Do you get the impression that they arrived together?"  
  
Billy just nodded, and Jason saw just a small amount of pain his lover's eyes. He understood that Billy had never really gotten over his own mother's death, and only on rare occasions had discussed it, even with him. Seeing his father with another woman, no matter how casual had surprised the blond. Quietly getting up, he went around the table and gently inserted himself between Kim and Billy. "Hey man.,"  
  
Before he could finish the sentence, their communicators went off. Every eye at the party turned to the table where they were sitting. Looking around trying to find an excuse to leave for a moment, Jason's draw dropped when his dad simply said, "Go. We'll keep things warm for you."  
  
"Huh?" Tommy asked.  
  
"What you think we're stupid or something?" Mr. Oliver replied. "Just go."  
  
The communicators went off again and Jason looked over at Ms. Stone who nodded, "What? You six are still here? Go."  
  
"Jason hit the stud on the device, "We're here, Zor. uh Ms. Hayes."  
  
"It looks like you're old friends on the moon have finally realized how much trouble their in." Ms. Hayes's voice came over the device. "They've sent down more than just one monster this time."  
  
Jason nodded, "We're on our way." Turning back to his friends, he declared, "It's Morphin' Time!"  
  
He felt the rush as The Power flowed to him, and he called out his 'zord, and was encased in his new costume. Behind him he heard,  
  
"Pterodactyl!"  
  
"Mastodon!"  
  
There were two beats of silence.  
  
"Dragonzord!", finally, Tommy's voice came in somewhat shaken. When they looked, Billy and Kyle were standing there quietly in costume.  
  
"Can we go now?" Billy asked blushing.  
  
Jason just nodded to him confused. The last thing he heard before the grid took him was Ms. Stone's voice, "Go and be careful. And remember, don't leave anything behind you." She said something else but it was lost in the transport beam.  
  
Landing in the park they suddenly found themselves surrounded by Goldar, and five large figures from ancient Mythology. "Well, isn't it the Power Geeks!" Goldar laughed, "With Zed's new Nors.," The tall golden ape never got to finish the sentence as the Blue Ranger's staff caught him solidly in the teeth. With a smooth motion, Billy twisted, his body, swinging the staff low a second time and easily swept the Goldar off his feet. As the spin came to stop, the butt of the Blue Ranger's staff came slamming down into the giant ape's solar plexus. There was a whoosh of air escaping and a groan.  
  
"Don't call me a geek!" Jason just barely heard Billy's low growl before the staff caught Goldar as second blow across the side of his head.  
  
"What's gotten into Billy?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Don't know." Jason replied, "But good technique."  
  
Any reply from Tommy was lost in the joining of battle, as a hammer from a tall man with horns on his helmet caught him squarely in the chest, hurling him back into a nearby tree. Jason felt bones crack under the force of the blow and was vaguely aware that there wasn't the usual explosion that came with any contact by monstrous weapons with their costumes. "Fight! Don't talk!" The tall muscular man charged him, and Jason found himself in the fight of his life.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
"Oh, that had to hurt," Murphy said to nobody in particular, as she watched the battle on the holographic projector from her wrist. The parents of her charges gathered around behind her.  
  
"Do you mind if we watch?" Mr. Scott asked.  
  
"Actually we want to watch whether you mind or not," Mrs. Oliver volunteered. "They are our kids after all."  
  
Murphy smiled over at them. She understood their concern and their reactions. She hadn't been surprised when Linda Scott had told her that they knew about their kids' extra-curricular activities. It really wasn't that hard to deduce for anyone with half a brain in their head. Most kids think that their parent's are stupid, and it takes several years of adulthood to figure out that those self-same parental units are a whole lot smarter than previously suspected. "You sure you want to watch this?" she asked. "This isn't the nice clean version you're going to get from the newscasts.  
  
"We're sure Ms. Stone. We've long suspected that the news footage had been sanitized for public consumption," Ed Cranston told her. She saw a concerned look come over his face, "Although, I've never seen Billy this aggressive in the past."  
  
Murphy smiled softly over to the smaller man and said, "That's the result of two things."  
  
"And they are?" Mr. Cranston asked.  
  
"Number one is that he has someone to fight for now," Nodding over to the Scotts she said, "Jason. Number two is that I've been trying to break all of them of this very bad habit they have of wasting motion and energy with what comes down to looking like poses and still scenes from a comic book. So far, only Billy and Kyle seem to be listening. It makes Billy come across as being more aggressive than he really is."  
  
"And Kyle?" Frank Scott asked.  
  
"Kyle didn't have than many bad habits to break. He's a farm boy, he's used to a more rough and tumble style of fighting. He's the kind that's likely to knock somebody like Goldar in the back of the head with a tire iron, if means protecting his friends. Plus Kyle's been beat up enough to know to get his licks in while he can."  
  
Realizing that everybody standing behind her was making them all uncomfortable, she removed the bracer from her wrist, sat it on the table and hit the command to project the scene above it. At least they could all be comfortable while watching what she felt was going to be Rita's and Zedd's last stand. "Jason, don't turn your back on him." She winced as the hammer caught in the back of the thigh. "Ooh that's going to leave a bruise."  
  
"These monsters seem more brutal," Mrs. Scott said worriedly. "Most of the one's from the past fights were almost comical."  
  
"They are," Murphy told her. "Rita and Zedd have been losing pretty badly. Now they've gone one-step further in their monsters and have used a forbidden text to summon the spirits of some of the most violent deities in human history.  
  
"My daughter is fighting a god?" Mrs. Hart asked worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, but that's just Freyja- Kimberly can take her. As a matter of fact, Freyja shouldn't even be in this fight. She's a fertility goddess for heaven's sake." She looked over at the Scotts, "There wouldn't happen to be a Norse exhibit at the local museum would there?"  
  
"Icelandic Mysteries and the Heimskringla," Ed Cranston told her. "Billy and I went the other day. It's actually very good."  
  
"No doubt," Murphy muttered under her breath. Reaching out she touched the communicator stud, "Jason, you're fighting someone that wrestled Death. Tommy, that sword will really cut you. If you don't stay out of it's way, you're going to get sliced and diced. Tyr was a war god, and he knows how to use it. Kyle, good work with Loki, now give Adam a hand with Vidar. If that shoe comes down on him, you'll never get it off."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Kyle's southern drawl came back over the communicator.  
  
Suddenly some kind of staff appeared out of nowhere, and the whole town shook as six forms grew to monstrous proportions. Over the intercom Jason's voice commanded as he leaped high into the air, "We need 'zord power now! Red Ranger Neozord Battlemode Three!" The command was repeated three other times.  
  
Murphy smiled as the whirlwinds of energy engulfed each of the Rangers and their 'zords appeared around them. "These zords look different. They're more streamlined." Mr. Cranston said.  
  
"Exactly," Murphy told him. "They're made from a material called syntenol and are capable of reprogramming their molecular structure, at the Rangers' command." She leaned back against the desk, "If they are forced to go to Battlemode four, then I'm afraid Rita's going to be in for an unpleasant surprise."  
  
Ed Cranston asked, "Aren't those new 'zords for Billy and Kyle?" ************************************************* Meanwhile, Jason was feeling embarrassed at the rebuke from Ms. Stone. Couldn't he do anything right for that woman? He closed quickly with the guy he'd taken to calling Thor.  
  
The man seemed to be disoriented, by his sudden change in his stature. He looked around, "What sorcery is this that would make us into giants?!"  
  
"The bad kind!" Billy called out. "You guys really don't want to fight us, we're not your enemies."  
  
"Odin's lost eye!" the man with one hand yelled. "It's Fenris!" He turned from Tommy and charged Billy's zord, sword held high. With some surprise, Jason noted that Billy's Triceratops was gone and in its place was a huge blue wolf-shaped 'zord. Looking around he realized that Kyle's was not the saber tooth tiger he expected but was instead a giant yellow raccoon.  
  
Before he could go to Billy's aid, his own tyrannosaur was slung backwards by a blow from the red-head's hammer. Getting his feet back under him barely in time to meet the guy's charge, he spun his zord around and slammed the tail into his charging foe. With some satisfaction, he noted the surprised look on Thor's face.  
  
His readout showed that Tommy's opponent as well as the female who had been trading arrow shots with Kimberly had disengaged and were attacking Billy. "Oh no you don't!" Jason had thoughts of Billy being gang attacked. He gritted his teeth as the big man started to get up, and leaped at him, deploying the 'zord's rear claws."  
  
With a satisfying tearing from the claws he pinned Thor to the ground and brought the 'zord's jaws into play on the massive forearm holding the hammer. Jason ground his own teeth again as the tyrannosaur's jaws came together, severing the hand holding the hammer. "Get out of my way you has- been! Three on one isn't fair!"  
  
As the great giant's hand fell away he felt him begin to dissolve into what ever force brought him into existence. Turning he saw Goldar with his head now bloodied, close with the others against Billy. He wasn't sure what it was about Billy's 'zord had set these guys off, but they'd abandoned all their own opponents to attack him. Goldar was screaming, "Yes! Destroy the Blue Ranger first and then turn on his friends."  
  
Jason watched as the giant yellow raccoon that was Kyle's 'zord picked up the fallen hammer, which for some reason had yet to dissolve. Standing behind Goldar, Kyle tapped the giant ape on the shoulder saying. "I'm not exactly pure of heart, but damn it I'll take what I can get." When Goldar turned to face him, Kyle swung the hammer with everything the 'zord had. There was a satisfying crunch as the giant ape's head was snapped back by the force of the blow and he was hurled across the bay. The hammer in Kyle's hand dissolved at that point.  
  
Billy's voice came over the radio, "someone has been reading too many Marvel Comics."  
  
The huge man wearing an iron shoe had raised is foot high above the back of Billy's 'zord. For some reason, Jase knew that he couldn't let that shoe come down on Billy. Without thinking, he leapt, feeling his own 'zord transform under him. Great claws extended from the massive forepaws and he suddenly felt the control cockpit shift under him. As he crashed into the man, he saw the dinosaur shaped readout shift into something resembling a grizzly.  
  
Rolling across the empty soccer and baseball fields of the park, he and his opponent came to a halt, half in and half out of the water of the lake. Bringing a massive forepaw around, he raked the man into the bear's grasp and brought the arms together into a bone crushing bear hug. Twisting his body right and left, he once again bit with the 'zord's jaws tearing huge chunks from the giant's shoulder. Again, he felt the warrior return to whatever force had brought him into being.  
  
Looking back he saw that only the man with one hand was left, and acting outraged. "Ragnarok was not supposed to turn out this way!" he screamed and charged Tommy incoherently. "It was Thor who was to fight the Midgard Serpent!"  
  
With a practiced ease, the Green Ranger ducked his Dragonzord and brought a knee up into Tyr's stomach. Pulling down with an empi-uchi elbow strike to the back of the head, he slammed the one handed man to ground and watched as he too dissolved into nothingness.  
  
"Not bad Rangers. Good job Jason," Ms. Stone's voice came over the intercom. "Report back to your parent's house. Jason I want to check out those ribs."  
  
**********************************************************  
  
Meanwhile on the moon, Baboo entered the throne room. "Sire, long range sensors have picked up a large craft approaching the system very fast."  
  
"Show me, you imbecile!" Zedd screamed.  
  
Baboo walked to the window-shaped view screen, and pointed. "There!"  
  
A long sleek craft, weapon ports all over it began a slow deceleration toward Earth. Zedd recognized the markings of the scout craft, and had he possessed a skin, he would felt the goose bumps of fear. "Pack my things. I'm leaving. Teenage kids I'll fight. The Kregar are a different story." 


	5. Parental Units

The Second Chances Saga: Chapter 5: Parental Units. Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
NOTE: I'm sorry about the confusion with the name for chapter 4. It was not meant to be the end of the story.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
Billy watched Jason wince as Ms. Stone pushed and prodded at his ribs. He hated to see Jason in pain, but he had to admit to himself that the view with Jase's shirt off was nice. Finally, Ms. Stone turned back to the worried Scotts and said, "He'll be okay in a few hours. Being a manifestation of the Power, he heals almost immediately." She indicated her medical bag, "Billy hand me that Ace bandage please."  
  
Retrieving the requested item, Billy helped her wrap Jason's ribs getting a small thrill from the touch of Jase's smooth skin. "I really think you should take it easy tonight, Jason." He told him, "The scans I've been doing indicate that although the Power will heal this damage, it will draw on your own energy reserves to do so. You will probably experience a great deal of fatigue and hunger over approximately the next seventeen hours."  
  
"Huh?" Jason asked with a slight smile.  
  
"You're going to eat like horse and sleep like bear for the next few hours," Kimberly told him, "which of course is appropriate, all things considered."  
  
"You did well out there children," Ms. Stone told them as she finished up with the wrapping, "especially you Jase. "Do you realize that you actually managed to take out two Norse deities?"  
  
"Why were they confused about Zedd making them grow?" Adam asked.  
  
"Because, in their tradition, they FOUGHT the giants, they aren't supposed to BE giants." Billy answered. "Didn't you hear Tyr's confusion as he attacked Tommy? He thought Tommy's 'zord was the Midgard Serpent, and knew that Thor was supposed to die fighting it." Billy leaned back against the sink in the Scott's house and watched as Jason buttoned up his shirt. "Choosing the exhibit at the museum was a tactical error on Zedd's part. He may have resurrected the Norse Pantheon, but by forcing them to fight us in giant form, he confused them. They thought they were in the Battle of Gotterdamnenrung or as we know it, the Battle of Ragnarok."  
  
"You mean we were really fighting gods out there?" Kyle asked. Taking a moment, he thought, "That's why they all attacked you then, wasn't it Billy?"  
  
Billy nodded, "Choosing this fight as an opportunity to use my new 'zord form was an error on MY part." Billy felt himself blush at the admission, "I had forgotten about the legend of the Fenris Wolf, one of the most feared creatures in the Norse mythology." He smiled at his new companion, "Although I have to admit some surprise at finding someone else who recognizes Icelandic legends."  
  
"Ever read Elizabeth Bowyer?" Kyle asked.  
  
Billy nodded, he'd read several pieces by the aforementioned author, and greatly enjoyed the retelling of Icelandic mythology. He told the young Yellow Ranger, "Although, her writings are very much on the juvenile level, I do find them highly entertaining."  
  
"Speaking of 'zords, Billy," Tommy asked, "what ever made you design one based on a Raccoon?" He shook his head, "Not that I'm complaining mind you, the look on Goldar's face when he turned around and saw three hundred feet of yellow raccoon was priceless, almost as priceless as the sight of Kyle hitting him with that hammer."  
  
"I didn't design the 'zord as a raccoon, Tommy. I designed the 'zords to tap into our inner strengths and personalities. The raccoon is appropriate for Kyle, it's intelligent, resourceful, fierce, and agile. Just like our new friend." He smiled over Jason, "Just like the grizzly bear is very appropriate for Jason. He's the great protector."  
  
Kimberly put her hands on her hips and smiled at him. He knew he was in for a teasing from her tone when she said, "Somehow I don't see you as all that wolfish Billy. I mean, a wolf has a certain reputation that you are lacking."  
  
Billy smiled at her, "The wolf is a pack animal. It lives or dies by its pack mates." He shrugged, "My pack mates are the most important thing in the universe to me."  
  
Jase came down off the table and put an arm around Billy, "Besides, the wolf works as part of a team. It's intelligent, and resourceful." Jason leaned in closely so that only Billy could hear, "and it mates for life." Billy felt himself blush deeply.  
  
"Well, I think that's enough excitement for one day, children," Ms Stone told them all. "Why don't we clean up the back yard and call it a night?" The woman clapped her hands and started directing the Rangers as the cleanup crew. In a matter of minutes, the Scott's backyard was clean and the grill put away.  
  
Billy watched as Ms. Stone and his dad left through the back gate after his dad offered her a ride home. Before they left, Ed Cranston turned and looked at Billy, "Don't be too long, son." Billy felt something hard grow in the pit of his stomach, something dark and resentful, and he finally realized that it was anger. Sitting down, he analyzed the feeling. He was actually angry with Ms. Stone for riding home with his dad. It was all of course perfectly innocent, but still it ate at some part of Billy that he'd always kept deep down inside him.  
  
"She's not moving in," Jase put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Huh?" Billy turned to the dark eyed boy.  
  
"Now that's a switch," Jason teased, "you not understanding me." He took Billy by the shoulders and looked directly at him. "He's giving her a ride home, that's all. She's not trying to take your mom's place."  
  
Billy smiled as he understood what Jason was trying to tell him, "I think I understand that, Jason. Up here." He tapped his head. "But I'm having trouble with it down here," he put a hand on his chest and shook his head. "I guess this is what Kimberly was trying to tell me right after my accident last year. I may be a graduate of the School for Baby Genius's but when it comes to emotional stuff, I'm pretty much remedial classes all the way." Looking up, he smiled at Jason, "you're not going to take advantage of that and use it to seduce me are you?"  
  
He saw the look of confusion on Jase's face, "Of course not, Billy!"  
  
Billy smiled and snapped his fingers, "Drat!"  
  
Both boys laughed briefly at Billy's joke. Almost as quickly as the laughter began, it became quiet. Suddenly, he wished Jason would kiss him. After long seconds of getting lost in the midnight eyes, while waiting for Jason to make the first move, Billy decided to take the initiative himself. He leaned in close and brushed his lips against Jason's lips. He felt a tingle that started at his lips and spread down to settle somewhere at the base of his spine. Jason crushed him against his chest and the deep kiss set off explosions in Billy's mind. At the sound of Mr. Scott clearing his voice, the boys separated as they both turned bright red. "I guess there goes the stricture about kissing in public."  
  
Billy muttered, "I guess so." He looked over at the Scotts who were standing there giving him the "you boys know better," look. He shrugged and said, "Sorry." Turning back to Jason he said, "See you tomorrow at the Command Center."  
  
Jason just nodded and walked back toward his parents, as Kyle came up beside him and said in his Appalachian accent, "Smooth move Blue; shock the parental units. What's next, skinny dipping the lake?" Reaching out, the raven haired boy took Billy's keys. "I'd better drive, at least until we get to my house." He smiled. "Give you a chance to come back down to earth." He looked down at the front of Billy's jeans, "and replace your stick shift with an automatic."  
  
************************************************************** Kyle dropped Adam off at home first, before heading toward his own home. He was actually very pleased with his performance today, although he was a surprised as Tommy about the Raccoon 'zord. It made sense he guessed, but it was still a surprise. He would have hoped for a lion or maybe a black leopard, but he'd settle for what he got. Of course considering what the alternative was, what he got was damn good. Some small part of his mind recognized that as a very Eastern Kentucky attitude. The more he thought of it, the more he realized that the raccoon was appropriate for him.  
  
"Why did you make that comment when you hit Goldar?" Billy finally asked.  
  
Kyle turned to glance at the Blue Ranger and smiled. He could already tell that the boy had come down from the adrenaline high from the fight as well as from the passion high from his kiss. He still had a slightly glazed look in his eyes, but for the most part the flush was gone from his cheeks. "Which comment?"  
  
"The one about being pure of heart, if you know enough about Norse mythology to recognize the Fenris Wolf, you'd know that there is no such stricture about picking up Mjolnir. That's something purely for the comic books." Billy told him.  
  
"I know, but I couldn't help but think of Wonder Woman picking up the hammer in that really bad cross-over series they did. You know the one where Storm beat her."  
  
Billy smiled at him, "I know. Someone needs to tell the writers at Marvel that lightning doesn't work that way." Shaking his head, "And if Diana were any real kind of Amazon, she'd have cleaned Storm's clock before it ever got started." He grinned at Kyle, "After all, we've seen how real Amazons fight." His voice changed from the light banter, "But seriously, what makes you think you're not pure of heart?"  
  
Kyle shrugged, "Let's just say that I've had some pretty impure thoughts lately." He really didn't want to go into what he'd been feeling lately with the Blue Ranger. His new friend had too many other worries on his mind without loading him down with Kyle's.  
  
Billy just smiled, "I can't imagine they're any more impure than the ones I've had of late myself." He turned to face Kyle, "Look Kyle, like I tried to tell all of you earlier. Whatever this force that makes us what we are has bound us together. If you need anything, to talk, or just to unload, let me know. You and I are probably closer matched in the dojo than you are with anyone else, so if you want to go and work off some frustration some time let me know." He laughed, "believe it or not, but I do understand that sometimes a physical release of energy can be cleansing to the soul."  
  
Kyle smiled at him, "Tommy and Jase are corrupting you. If you're not careful it'll ruin your reputation."  
  
"I have a reputation?" Billy asked.  
  
"Uh huh," Kyle told him.  
  
"And you know this how?" Billy asked.  
  
"Kimberly told me."  
  
"And what did Kimberly say about me?" Billy asked.  
  
"That you're a good friend, a good listener, and don't get as caught up into the testosterone overload that the other guys do." Kyle told him, "also that she has suspected that you're family for a long time." Kyle smiled and teased the blond, "and that if you should come toward me with an electronic mind shield I should run as far and as fast as I could."  
  
Billy laughed, "She still hasn't forgiven me for that." Then he tuned to face Adam, "What does she mean by family?"  
  
"Oh, sorry," Kyle apologized, "My word, not hers. Family, it's a term used by the gay community to denote someone else who's gay. It's sort of an homage to the concept that since we are so often denied our biological families, that we make our own."  
  
Billy's voice got serious, "And have you been denied your biological family?"  
  
Kyle shook his head, "Some of it. I've got several uncles who don't want me around their kids anymore. But, for the most part, things are cool at home. Dad isn't happy about the fact that I'm gay, but he still loves and supports me." Kyle suppressed the shudder that ran through him as his own emotions built up. He realized just how much his coming out of the closet affected his father, but the man had never been anything but supportive. "Hell, he moved across the country to give me a chance at a new start."  
  
"From what happened with the other boy?" Billy asked.  
  
Kyle nodded, and was surprised that although the pain was still there, it was beginning to be bearable. He realized that his new friends had accepted him for who he was, with no judgments or reservations. "I take it that Adam told you what happened."  
  
Billy shook his head, "No, if you tell Adam something that he thinks is personal, wild horses can't drag it out of him. You've made enough comments that I've pieced together that somebody you loved was murdered and you blame yourself. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I was just making an observation."  
  
"I appreciate that." He shrugged, "Some of it is still too painful, but I'm getting where I can function again." Kyle smiled weakly as he pulled into the drive at his house.  
  
"Well if you need anybody to talk to, I've got a free ear." Billy said. "Since I'm not the object of your impure thoughts, I should be safe to talk to." It was clear that Billy still had a long way to go before he realized just how attractive he was. Some part of Kyle's mind noted that his lack of realization of his own good looks was part of the young genius' charm.  
  
"What makes you think you're not the source?" Kyle teased Billy. "Although I'll admit that you aren't, you're not chopped liver either. Trust me on this Billy, I can guarantee you that you make great masturbatory fantasy material."  
  
"Kyle!" Billy protested as he turned a bright shade of red.  
  
Kyle shrugged, "Hey, if you don't believe me, that's fine. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts that you star if quite a few of Jason's nocturnal fantasies." He turned and headed into his house, leaving the young genius to think about that.  
  
"Son, you're home early," his dad commented as he came into the house. Looking over, Kyle saw his father sitting quietly at the kitchen table going over some paper work from the plant. His father had been lucky to find such a good job so easily out here. Back home in Kentucky, good paying jobs were few and far between and the loss of one could spell disaster to a family. His father's experience as a Union Representative in the steel plant there had become a valuable commodity here in Angel Grove.  
  
"Yeah dad, we're supposed to go out to the desert tomorrow and I wanted to get a good night's sleep so I can be on my toes. I'm still adjusting to the climate here," Kyle told his father. Technically he wasn't lying to his father, after all the Command Center was in the desert.  
  
"You're spending a lot of time with those new friends of yours." He looked up from the paper work, took his glasses off, and said, "Sit down. I want to talk to you."  
  
"Yes sir," Kyle replied fearing the worst.  
  
"I did some checking with some of the other parents in the neighborhood," his father began. "You're friends have a certain reputation around here, a good one. I'm glad you're making friends of that caliber. I'd like to meet them sometime."  
  
Kyle smiled, "Sure dad."  
  
His dad laughed, "Since when is it that easy? Back home, it was like pulling teeth to get you bring any friends home to meet me."  
  
"Dad, back home everybody knew everybody. It wasn't that big of a deal. Here, it's new people and a new environment." Kyle let his voice get serious, "I know how much this move cost you dad. In case I haven't told you so, I do appreciate your standing by me." He looked down, and hoped he kept the hurt from his voice, "Even when mom didn't."  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up into his father's eyes. "You're my son. What did you think I would do, put you out with the garbage?" He sighed, "I may not understand what you're going through but I do love you. I helped bring you into this world that makes the kind of man you turn out to be my responsibility, and I want you to be the best person you can be." Turning and looking down, "You're mother's leaving was not your fault. She may have used what happened as an excuse, but she decided to leave a long time before that."  
  
"Yes sir," Kyle told his father. He'd known his parents were having problems before the mess with Neal and Katy. He knew that it wasn't his fault, but for some reason, he felt that if he'd stayed out of trouble, then maybe they would have been able to work it out.  
  
"Now go on up to bed," he smiled at his son, "We don't want you falling out in the desert tomorrow, do we?"  
  
"No sir."  
  
**********************************************************  
  
"How long have you known about us?" Kimberly asked her mom as they sat at the kitchen table sharing two bowls of Rocky Road ice cream.  
  
"Since just after the Power Rangers appeared," her mother smiled. "Jason's parents figured it out first, and slowly let the rest of us know."  
  
"You're not upset with us lying to you about it?" Kimberly asked, unable to believe that her mom knew she was a Power Ranger.  
  
"I wasn't happy to find out my daughter can lie, but I understand why it was necessary," Mrs. Hart told her. "And you've always been honest with me about other things, so I can let this slide." Her mom smiled. "You have been honest with me about everything else haven't you?"  
  
Kimberly blushed, "I haven't lied to you mom," she quickly added, "about non-Ranger stuff. But you haven't asked certain things so I haven't told you." She really felt weird having this conversation with her mother. Although they'd talked a great deal, about many things, all her mother ever really said about certain subjects was that she was uncomfortable with her spending too much time alone with Tommy.  
  
Her mother smiled seriously at her, "Do you want me to ask?"  
  
Kimberly thought about it, "About some things I guess I do," she blushed, "others are kind of private."  
  
"I understand that," Kimberly. "You're almost an adult now. You've made some pretty mature decisions, and have taken it on yourself to be responsible for the safety of a great many people. I can't complain about the kind of young woman you're turning into." She sighed, "I just don't want you to get hurt," she gave Kim a long look, "or make the kind of mistake that could cost you any career you might want."  
  
Kim blushed, "I'm not going to become a parent any time soon, Mom." Kimberly thought about what she had been told her during the exam at the Command Center. "If I were sexually active, which I'm not saying I am, nor am I saying I'm not, I would be very careful about it."  
  
"Kim, I've always been pretty sanguine about your running around with so many boys. Jason, Zack, and Billy have always proven me to be right in my decisions in this matter, but you've never really had any interest in any of them besides as friends. That's something I'm very proud of you for. You've realized that you can be friends with a boy without it crossing any lines, and that's something some girls never learn. But, Tommy worries me. Not as much as he used to, but he does worry me."  
  
"Tommy worries a lot of people mom. I think it's the hair." Kimberly replied with a smile.  
  
Mrs. Hart smiled, "He does have that roguish look about him doesn't he." She shook her head, "I just don't want you to get too serious too fast, sweetie."  
  
"I won't mom," Kim smiled. "Besides, I've got a couple of big brothers that are looking out for me too."  
  
"I don't understand," Mrs. Hart replied.  
  
"Jason and Billy," Kimberly said. "They threatened to do some pretty nasty things to Tommy if he hurt me."  
  
"That's nice dear, but I just want to make sure that you don't LET yourself get hurt." She shook her head, "Wait a minute? Billy threatened Tommy?"  
  
Kim smiled at her mom, "Let's just say that he threatened to use some of the advanced technology he has access to, to remove certain non- essential but important body parts from Tommy if he hurt me."  
  
Mrs. Hart laughed, "Leave it to Billy to find a way." She put her hand on Kimberly's, "What I'm trying to say, is that if you have or should you decide that Tommy is the person you want to be with, please be careful." She gave Kimberly a stern look, "Mind you, I'm not giving you permission."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Kim replied.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Jason sat quietly in the den, resting his eyes, and trying to fight off the drowsiness that threatened to overcome him. The worst part was that whenever he closed his eyes, a certain pair of blue green eyes came to mind and then the memory of the kiss they'd shared on the lawn would combine with the drowsiness to create an embarrassing situation in his jeans. Billy had warned him that the healing process for his ribs- the pain in which had finally faded to a dull throb- would make him hungry and sleepy, but he hadn't mentioned anything about being horny.  
  
His parents were in the kitchen speaking in low voices, and he wondered just how much that little kiss had cost him. He'd been surprised that it had happened, and was somewhat pleased the Billy was the one that wanted to kiss him. Jason came to the conclusion that he liked kissing Billy. He liked kissing Billy more than he liked the other things he and Ana had done. Somehow, with Billy everything just seemed so right- the way things were supposed to be. He found himself wanting to try other things with the young genius.  
  
Entering the room his dad sat down across from him on the couch, "Jase?" he asked. "Let's talk son."  
  
Jason smiled at his dad, "I'm in trouble aren't I?"  
  
His dad chuckled, "I don't know. You tell me."  
  
"The kiss," Jason began.  
  
"Was a little shocking, but nothing we can't deal with son," his dad told him. "In reality it was nothing I haven't seen you do with Ana or Emily. It's just a little unnerving to see you kissing Billy I guess."  
  
"Then what do you want to talk about?" Jason asked.  
  
His dad cleared his throat and Jason realized his father was as nervous as he was. Finally, he began, "Your mom and I are concerned about your activities with Billy. About how far things have gone between you," he cleared his throat again, "uh. sexually."  
  
Jason felt the blood rise in his cheeks, "What do you mean sexually, Dad?"  
  
"I mean, I know you know the mechanics of the things that men and women do together." his Dad continued nervously, ".and God knows I'm not going to try and even fathom the mechanics of what men and men do together."  
  
"Dad, are you asking if Billy and I have had sex?" Jason felt his face burn with embarrassment.  
  
"I'm not asking, son. That's your business," he told Jason. "I'm less concerned about you having sex as you having safe sex," his Dad finally blurted out.  
  
Jason shook his head, "Dad, we haven't gotten that far yet. Actually we decided to take things slow, and limit our activities to necking for a while." Jason had always had a close relationship with his dad, and because of that, he felt comfortable talking about things with him that most seventeen year olds would never mention to a parent. "But when we do, I promise you that we'll be very careful."  
  
His Dad nodded, "Okay, son. We just wanted to make sure that you were being safe." Reaching out and putting his hand on Jason's his Dad continued, "and that you know we love you and support you and Billy. It may take some time to get used to the idea of you two together, but we do love you- both of you."  
  
Jason smiled at his dad, "Thanks dad. That means a lot."  
  
"Just so you know son," his dad said, getting up to leave the room.  
  
"And Dad?"  
  
"Yeah, Jase?"  
  
"Thanks for understanding about the other stuff," Jase told him.  
  
"What other stuff?" his Dad asked.  
  
"The Power Rangers stuff." Jase told him. He was surprised at the relief he felt over no longer having to lie to his parents about what he was doing. He also had to admit to a small thrill at the idea of morphing in front of them.  
  
"We understand that you had to keep things secret," his father told him. "Murphy told us why you had to keep it to yourselves."  
  
"I still felt bad about it, Dad. I don't like to lie."  
  
"I know, Son."  
  
Jason drifted off to dreams of a certain blond and chocolate sauce. 


	6. Surprises: Upgraded to Pg13

*****************************************************************  
  
Billy sat back next Jason and watched as Adam and Kyle closed with Ms. Stone. They'd already had their turn at the circle kumite with their new mentor and were each nursing a whole new set of bruises from the experience. Billy noted that Ms. Stone's training style was very different from Zordon's. She was much more of a hands-on teacher. In this case, that included hands, elbows, knees and an occasional boot-to-the-head.  
  
Adam's years of training as a martial artist were showing through. He was able to at least hold his own against the woman- who by the way, seemed to be a master of several different styles of armed and unarmed combat- but Kyle was struggling to keep up. His years as a tumbler were making the martial arts easier to pick up, but he still lacked what Ms. Stone kept calling Toma-shi. When he'd heard the word, Billy took time to look it up only to discover that it meant "fighting spirit". She said that he fought as if it was a competition, not a life and death situation, but that he was getting better. Billy wondered at what part in their own training had Jase and the others switched over from tournament to combat styles. With Jason's help, Billy had come to realize that with their baptism in fire, he and Kim had to come up through the ranks thinking in terms of fighting for their lives, and that Kyle would eventually catch on.  
  
It finally appeared that the two boys had been able to get an upper hand on the woman. Adam engaged her with a series of vicious reverse punches followed up by a spinning back kick- all of which she blocked, but with increasing difficulty- while Kyle worked his way behind her. Coming down from the back kick into a solid stance, Adam refused to let up and launched another flurry of blows and kicks aimed their teacher's head and ribs, as Kyle launched himself into a flying side-kick aimed at her shoulders. Billy realized that although Kyle was an excellent tumbler, it was impossible for someone of his small stature to leap high enough to strike Ms. Stone's head without using The Power, which so far he and Adam had refused to do in this fight.  
  
As if some internal sense warned her, Ms. Stone dropped to the ground in a perfectly executed split to allow Kyle to go flying over her head. Billy winced as the Yellow Ranger's bare foot slammed into the bridge of Adam's nose. Blood flew in every direction from the force of the blow, and both boys went down in a jumble of arms and legs.  
  
T-ing his hands Tommy called time out and went to check on his fallen comrades. Ms. Stone meanwhile calmly walked over and began to see to Adam's injury. Producing a towel from the back of her gi, she gently probed the bones in his face. Finally deciding that nothing was broken, she smiled at him. "That's going to be sore for a while, but you'll live." Helping the Black Ranger up, she quietly told him, "You need to work on keeping your face blank in a fight, Adam. You told me what was happening the minute you let yourself smile when Kyle got behind me." Laughing lightly, "otherwise, a really good set of techniques, and an excellent strategy."  
  
"Too bad it didn't work," Adam mumbled to himself as he staunched the flow of blood from his nose.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Adam. You're all improving." Turning to Kyle she smiled, "Good idea, wrong kick." She walked over to where the short raven-haired boy was standing looking very vulnerable. "A sweep would have been more appropriate. You're getting better though, but don't get too caught up in the tumbling. Every time you leave the ground, you make yourself vulnerable."  
  
Kyle hung his head, "Yes, ma'am."  
  
Ms. Stone reached out and put a hand on his shoulder before saying, "You ARE improving Kyle. Keep up the workouts with Adam, and you'll get there."  
  
"Yes ma'am," he repeated.  
  
Billy saw her look down at him and then back over to where Tommy and Jason had finally managed to get Adam's nose to stop bleeding. Turning him by the shoulders, she pushed him in that direction before heading toward the women's showers. "Now why don't you go over and see how Adam's doing?"  
  
Kyle nodded, and walked over to the other boys, his head hung low. Billy got the feeling that there were other issues at play besides Kyle accidentally hurting the Black Ranger. Joining them at the edge of the tatami, Billy tapped the Yellow Ranger on the shoulder, "Ms. Stone is correct," he told his newest friend, "Your skill is improving at a remarkable rate."  
  
"Trust Billy," A new and unexpected voice called from across the room. "You should have seen him in his first fight with the putties. He actually asked them to wait for a second while he took off his glasses. The thing about it is that they were so surprised by the request that they did." All eyes turned to see the tall African American boy standing in the door way.  
  
"Zack!" Kimberly screamed and raced across the room and flung herself into former Black Ranger's arms. "When did you get back?"  
  
The incident with Kyle and Adam forgotten, the rest of the team converged on their old friend. "Just yesterday. My parents decided that Iowa wasn't for them." Smiling big he told them, "It may be a great place for Captain Kirk to grow up, but for a former Power Ranger it sucks!" He disengaged himself from the Kimberly and took turns greeting the rest of the team. Billy too found himself caught up in the emotions of the reunion, and almost forgot about Kyle standing off to the side.  
  
"Zack," Billy said, "this is Kyle Kerry, the new Yellow Ranger."  
  
Zack smiled hugely at Kyle, and offered a hand, "Good to meet you man. I saw the footage of your fight with Rita's monsters last night. Nice move with that hammer."  
  
Kyle smiled weakly, and muttered, "thanks."  
  
"So, are you starting back to school at AGHS Monday?" Tommy asked.  
  
Zack smiled, "Yep," he looked around the room. "This place has really changed. I almost didn't recognize it." Putting a hand on Jason's shoulder, "So tell me, who's the Amazon babe who was wiping up the floor with you guys? What happened to Zordon?" He punched Jase in the shoulder and laughed, "And how're things with that cute little blonde you were dating when I left?" He looked over at Tommy and Kim and grinned, "I don't have to ask about you two."  
  
There was a brief pause before Tommy interjected, "The Amazon is our new advisor, Ms. Stone. Zordon went back to Eltar.....," he stopped and looked at Jase and Billy before smiling, "and Jase's got a new blond." He chuckled, shook his head and continued, "It's a whole new ball game around here, new villains, new 'Zords, and a whole new attitude."  
  
Zack's effervescent personality bubbled over as he looked around the room, "Man this place is awesome." He gave Billy a sly look, "And I bet my Main Brain over there has already taken it apart and put it back together again."  
  
Billy cleared his throat, "I've been sort of engaged in other pursuits of late, Zack. I haven't had the opportunity to explore."  
  
"You, not take new technology apart? You ARE feeling all right Billy?" Then he stopped a moment and thought, "Oh, I see. Somebody's been bitten by a more biological bug. You sly dog." He looked over at Jase and smiled, "It's always the quiet ones. Who's he making time with?"  
  
Before Jase could reply, "Zack, I don't know you. But I'm going to give you a quick piece of advice," Kyle stepped interrupted in that deep Appalachian accent, "you're about to stick your foot in your mouth- all the way up to your knee cap."  
  
"Huh?" Zack asked smiling.  
  
Kyle looked over at Jase and then Billy. Billy could see a question in his eye, but for the life of him could not ascertain its meaning.  
  
Before he could continue, Jase cut him off with a smile, "That's okay Kyle, he's always doing that." Turning to Zack he continued, "What Kyle's trying to warn you about old buddy, is that things are a little different now. Some of us have finally gotten our heads together." He gave Billy a questioning look.  
  
"I told Adam I wasn't ashamed," Billy answered the unasked question, "and I meant it."  
  
Jason grinned and came up and put an arm around Billy, "The new blond is Billy."  
  
Billy watched as Zack gave him and Jason a long look. Finally, a slow smile spread across his face, "That is sooo cool. You guys a couple! Great, I never thought of it, but it just fits!" He clasped both of them on the shoulder. Billy realized that he and Jase must have looked startled or confused, because Zack continued, "What? You think Zack the dance king would have problems with two of his best buddies being gay? You gotta' be kidding." He got one of his most mischievous looks on his face, and did a quick little dance step and turn. "Although," he stroked his chin and looked at Jason slyly, his tone indicating that somebody was in for a ribbing, "I guess Jase is going to have to change his name from the Red Ranger."  
  
"Toooo?" Jase asked warily stretching the word out.  
  
Zack smiled and ducked out of the way before Jason or Billy could grab him, "The Rump Ranger!"  
  
"Oh man that was baaaaad!" Tommy said shaking his head.  
  
"You're comedic material has not improved by any great measure," Billy warned his old friend. "And to be honest, there are very few people, I'd allow to get away with a comment like that unscathed." He smiled, "count yourself as fortunate that I consider you one of them."  
  
Zack gave Billy his best dramatic shocked look, "I'm not sure, but I think I've just been threatened," then, he raised an eyebrow and smiled, "by Billy no less."  
  
********************************************************  
  
Adam watched as the rest rallied around the former Black Ranger and began to catch up on old times. He'd barely known Zack before he left for Iowa being as it was he who was recruited to replace the African American youth as the Black Ranger. Adam let himself drop back from the crowd around Zack and stood next to Kyle.  
  
"Sorry about the nose," Kyle said quietly next to him.  
  
Adam turned and smiled at him, "Don't sweat it, buddy, I should have seen it coming. Things like that happen in the dojo. You get used to it." He put a hand on Kyle's shoulder trying to make the new Yellow Ranger feel better. "Besides, it's already healed. I guess the Power has its uses after all." He'd had his share of blunders in the dojo himself, so he knew how embarrassing they could be. "Tell you what, while these guys catch up on old times, why don't we get a shower, head over to Ernie's, and I'll buy you a smoothie." Suddenly he found himself starved. "And maybe a burger and fries."  
  
He saw a worried look flash across Kyle's face and then disappear into a big grin. "You're on!"  
  
A half an hour later the two were sitting in Ernie's enjoying two maxi-size fruit smoothies and a couple of double cheeseburgers. Adam hadn't felt this tired and hungry in a long time. Most of all he was really getting some strange signals from Kyle. An occasional smile up from the smoothie, those sky blue eyes boring holes into his soul kept doing things to him with which he wasn't quite prepared to deal. Adam kept feeling the blood rise to his face every time some very non-friend type thoughts came into his head. He really didn't want Kyle to get the wrong idea. His friend had been through enough without suddenly having to deal with Adam starting to be curious about certain things. Finally, in exasperation he said, "I can't believe how hungry and tired I am. I feel like I could eat a horse and sleep a week." He didn't say anything about needing to take care of other urges before that sleep.  
  
Kyle smiled at him, "Well, Billy did say that when our regeneration factor kicked in, it would draw on our own energy reserves." He looked down and continued, "Sorry for causing you problems."  
  
"Don't sweat it," Kyle told him fighting back the urge to, either grab Kyle or to leave the table to avoid the feelings the Yellow Ranger was setting off. Without closing his eyes, Adam mentally went through the new kata Ms. Stone had recently taught them.  
  
"Are you okay?" Kyle asked after a couple of minutes.  
  
"I'm fine," Adam answered quickly. "Look, I think I'm going to head home and crash for a couple of hours."  
  
Kyle nodded, "Sure man, no problem." There was regret in his voice that Adam hadn't noticed before.  
  
Damn, I bet he's feeling left out again! Everybody else is catching up with Zack, and here I am about to abandon him too. He sat back at down at the table, "You want to come over and go over that kata Ms. Stone taught us yesterday?"  
  
He saw the smile on Kyle's face actually reach his eyes, and briefly wondered how he could get him to do it again. "Sounds like fun," He looked down for a second as if considering his next words carefully, "Look I got a new movie on DVD. You want I should bring it?"  
  
Adam thought about it. His parents were going to be gone for most of the evening, but they didn't mind if he had a single guest over. As long as they stayed out of trouble, it was cool. Briefly, he wondered about the Yellow Ranger's reticence, but shoved his doubts into the back of his mind, "Sounds like fun. I think I can dig out some microwave popcorn and sodas."  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Jason pulled Billy back against him and sighed contentedly. The changes he'd felt since he'd finally come to grips with what had been going on in his heart for so long, were finally falling into place. He slowly realized that Billy was more than just his best friend, but that he held the other half of Jason's heart. He wasn't sure when the friendship had changed, but some time between their first meeting in the park seven years ago, and Billy's accident last year, Jason realized that the love he felt for Billy had gone from that of a brother to something deeper, something much more profound. He found himself wanting to spend the rest of his life with Billy, daydreaming about building a home with the young genius, or just wanting to get lost in those blue-green eyes.  
  
Looking up at the night sky as it spread across the desert, he held Billy tight, feeling the warmth of the smaller framed boy against him. "This is gorgeous! Why haven't you asked me out to do this before?" he asked.  
  
Billy nuzzled his head against Jase's chin, "Because I was afraid you might misinterpret- or correctly interpret what I wanted out of the evening."  
  
"And what do you want out of it?" he asked letting his hands roam across the well defined chest of his companion, reveling in the sensation of the hardness he felt there. Billy may not be as massive as Jason, or as densely built, but he did have an athlete's body, and Jason found himself wanting to touch and feel every part of it.  
  
"This," was Billy's reply. "To be held by you, hold you. To share with you what I see out here, away from the light pollution of the city."  
  
"I wish you had," Jase told him. "I wish that I had realized what it was I was feeling." He snuggled closer, inhaling deeply the sharp scent of Billy's cologne combined with a softer underlying mustiness that was Billy. He found the scent both soothing and arousing at the same time.  
  
"I had no idea, not even a hope of a dream that you would feel this way, Jase. I've loved you since Junior High, since before that camping trip where you thought Trini had broken my heart. I loved you more for your desire to be there, to help ease the pain you thought I was feeling. It wasn't Trini telling me that her parent's expected her to marry another Chinese man that hurt, it was the knowledge, no matter how erroneous, that YOU didn't feel about me the same way I feel about you." Billy turned and faced him, "I've wanted you forever, Jason Scott, and had no idea that I could have you. These past few weeks, since our return from the gray, have been like rain in the desert."  
  
Jase reached out and pulled Billy to him, kissing him deeply. He felt Billy gently bite at his lower lip, and then his tongue questioningly probe for entrance. Opening his mouth, he sucked in Billy's tongue, and breathed in the heady aftertaste of cinnamon Altoids. He felt a pair of surprisingly strong arms crush him to that hard chest. He felt light headed, as Billy released him, and he sucked in air, realizing that he'd forgotten to breathe. Not giving up his prize so easily, Billy began to nibble along Jase's jaw line to eventually, reach the side of his neck just under his right ear. As Billy gently nipped at the sensitive skin of his earlobe, Jason felt a surge of electricity run down his spine directly to his groin. He gasped, "Billy!"  
  
"You enjoyed that, did you?" the blond muttered against his throat, sending another shot of power through his system. Jason swallowed and nodded. No girl had ever had this kind of effect on him, not even when Ana had." the image of the little blond girl's head bobbing up and down in his lap sent a new surge of desire through him- this time it wasn't to be on the receiving end.  
  
With a strength he didn't know he had, Jason forced Billy back against the soft sand, and ran a hand under the blond's shirt, feeling the hard muscles of his abdomen and pecks. As his hands brushed against the hardening nubs on the well defined chest, he felt a shudder run through Billy. Kissing at Billy's throat, "Hmmm, I think I found something you enjoy," he teased.  
  
Lying full out flat against his lover, he let his fingers play along the sensitive spot he'd found as Billy began to nibble at his ear. Jason could feel Billy's hardness thrusting against his own thigh, as Jason moved in against Billy's hand, building toward his own release.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Kyle sat cross-legged on the floor of the Park's living room eating popcorn and enjoying Sam Raimi's take on Spider-man, of course it didn't hurt that Toby McGuire was fun to look at too. "Oh man that has to be the best looking fight scene I've ever seen on film," Adam was saying. "It's so realistic, and I love how they're showing Spidey as beaten and bruised."  
  
Kyle chuckled and shoved Adam as he said, "leave it to a martial artist to pick a superhero fight scene apart."  
  
Adam shoved him back and smiled, "Yeah, but who was it picking apart all the acrobatics?" He pitched his voice to an almost perfect match to Kyles, "He just doesn't have the momentum to pull off that many back-flips."  
  
Kyle rolled backwards with the shove, and pushed off into a hand-stand and then turned around to face his new friend, "Touché," he told him while walking over to his feet before dropping smoothly into a split, and then twisting his legs back into a semi-lotus sitting position.  
  
"Show-off," Adam told him. Then with a more serious note, "You know, you're very good at that. Why don't you compete anymore?"  
  
Kyle shrugged, "I thought about it for a while, but decided that now it wouldn't be fair." He gave Adam a quick wink, "You know, not using our powers for personal gain."  
  
"Jason, Tommy, and I all still compete in karate tournaments," Adam told him, "Kimberly even still does gymnastic competition, and we all know Billy doesn't try to hide his intelligence. Your tumbling is a natural part of who you are, you don't have to give it up, just because you occasionally put on spandex and fight giant monsters."  
  
Kyle smiled, "I know. But I'd rather just keep practicing, and develop my skill without competing." He'd recently considered this very issue, and even talked it over with his dad. He wasn't that interested in pitting himself against others anymore. Now, he just wanted to see if he could be a better tumbler today than he was last month.  
  
"Sort of becoming a master sensei of tumbling huh?" Adam smiled.  
  
"Something like that," he laughed at the image of him as an old man in a gi teaching a young David Carradine the 'philosophy' of tumbling. "I can just see myself," he pitched his voice low and took on his most serious tone, "young grasshopper, you must experience the Tao of tumbling."  
  
Adam threw at sofa pillow at him, he ducked, caught it, and slung it back at the tall Korean boy and the match was on. The fight started out with pillows and then degenerated into a wrestling match. Kyle knew he could never hope to match Adam in a blow for blow combat situation, so he closed with him for wrestling. His shorter frame combined with the upper body strength it took to be a tumbler, made up for any lack of skill he might have.  
  
Being careful of furniture, and other breakables in the living room, the two boys grappled across the large living room floor of the Parks. Much to his surprise, Kyle found himself suddenly pinned with Adam stretched out atop him. He wasn't sure who made the first move, maybe it was something mutual, but one minute they were staring at into one another's eyes, the next Kyle found himself lip-locked with the Adam.  
  
******************************************************  
  
Billy wasn't sure how things had suddenly gone from a heaving necking session with Jason to the two boys stretched out nearly naked on the desert floor, thrusting against each other's hand, while locked in fierce tongue- duel. Not that he was complaining mind you, he just wasn't sure how he ended up with his and Jason's pants off.  
  
Jason groaned into his mouth and his body suddenly tensed against him, the feeling of which sent Billy careening over the edge. Suddenly his mind exploded into a thousand pieces as his and Jase's very essences were intermingled before coming back to their own bodies, each carrying with them just a little piece of the other. Slowly bringing his breathing under control he finally opened his eyes to see explosions going off in the night sky. Some small part of his mind noted that the explosions seemed to be centered on the moon, just before the transport beam took him.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Adam couldn't believe what he was doing. He was actually kissing another guy, and loving it. Kyle tasted of peppermint, buttered popcorn and diet soda, and something else, something entirely different yet strangely familiar. He wasn't sure what it was he was feeling, but it was a feeling he was quickly deciding that he liked. That is just before the transport beam took both of them.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
It was unusual for Alpha to teleport them without some kind of warning, and it was only every done in the most dire of emergencies. Looking around at the others as they arrived in the Command Center, Tommy realized that the little robot had failed to warn anybody, and had simply grabbed them all. He blushed deeply at the sight of Billy and Jason lying flat on their backs, still locked in their embrace and each of their hands buried in the most incriminating place possible.  
  
Looking around he realized it was an evening for surprises. Adam and Kyle suddenly appeared in a streak of black and yellow light that was so intertwined as to almost be a single muddy shade of yellow. When they materialized he understood why their beams seemed so combined. Evidently, Billy and Jase weren't the only ones doing some late evening explorations. He shook his head and smiled as he looked up to see Kimberly sitting with a little pink robe and a towel around her hair, still holding the bottle of nail polish, and suddenly blushing deeply.  
  
"Aiyiyiyiyi!" Alpha was screaming as he entered the Power Chamber, "Rangers you're needed immediately. The Kregar have destroyed Rita and Zedd's moon pala...," He stopped in mid sentence as he saw the compromising situations from which he'd teleported two thirds of the team. 


	7. Battle!

The Second Chances Saga: Chapter 7: Battle Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission. Timeline is modern as opposed to a few years in the past.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
*********************************************************  
  
"Alpha!" Kimberly screamed angrily as she looked around and realized where she was, and in what state of dress. Then the situations involving the others intruded on her mind, and she blushed deeply. "You are SO dead!" Without a second thought, she took the towel from her head and tossed it across the blushing forms of Billy and Jason.  
  
"Aiyiyiyiyi," Alpha said in a low tone, as he once again started to move toward the main holotank of the Power Chamber. "Sorry Rangers, I seem to have teleported you at a bad time."  
  
"I am going to take him apart, and use his body for a trash can," Jason grumbled under his breath as he wrapped the towel around his waist, leaving Billy scrambling to pull on his jeans.  
  
"Well, well, well," Ms. Stone commented with a smirk as she came into the room. "Alpha, didn't you warn them before you teleported them here?"  
  
"You did say immediately," Alpha replied.  
  
"Just what I need, an AI who takes orders literally," Ms. Stone said to the ceiling. She turned to Jason and Billy and it was obvious to Kimberly that she was hard-pressed not to snicker, "You could go ahead and Morph. I don't think it would count as personal gain, to get a few clothes on your backs." She turned to look where Kyle and Adam doing their best to disentangle one from the other. "As for you two," she smiled, "We can talk about what ever is going on later. Right now we've got work to do."  
  
Both boys suddenly scrambled to their feet, blushing deep red. For just a moment, Kimberly was afraid one or both of them were going to bolt from the room. "What's the problem, Ms. Stone?" Jason asked as he morphed into his costume.  
  
Ms. Stone suddenly became all business, "A Kregar Light Cruiser just entered orbit around the moon. Currently, they are bombing Rita and Zedd's palace out of existence."  
  
"You'll pardon me if I'm not heart-broken," Kyle said under his breath.  
  
"Oh, I agree entirely," Ms. Stone replied. "However, the moon is only their first stop. As soon as they're finished there, they'll be heading this way, and we had better be ready to stop them." She indicated the holotank and hit a stud on the panel. Suddenly an image of the Kregar ship appeared dropping huge egg shaped pods from it's underbelly. As the pods descended into the atmosphere of some alien planet, they released a swarm of giant robots that looked like the head of a grasshopper suspended between two backwards sloping legs. Each was about a fourth the size of a 'Zord. "This class of cruiser carries a complement of almost a hundred walkers. These walkers, although one-on-one are no match for your 'Zords, do carry enough fire power to be dangerous in swarms. If we let the pods reach a low enough orbit, we'll have the invasion all over again. You have to stop most of them in the air."  
  
"What about the main ship?" Billy asked as he pulled his shirt back on. Kim noted that for some reason, Billy had managed to at least keep most of his clothing partially on his body, where as, Jason had been almost totally nude when he'd arrived. "How much of a threat is it without the walkers?"  
  
"Good question Billy," Ms. Stone replied. "It carries several batteries of particle cannons and lasers, as well as a small mass driver. It has navigational and defensive shields, but all these are fairly useless without the walkers. What good is it to bomb a planet if you can't hold it? That's what the walkers are for."  
  
"Besides," Ms. Hayes voice said as she entered the room, "I will deal with the main ship. You take care of the drop pods and any walkers that get through."  
  
"With all due respect Ms. Hayes," Billy said, "How do you intend to disable a craft capable of super-luminal speeds from a planetary surface?"  
  
"With these," Ms. Hayes smiled and opened her hand to reveal the five power coins that the team had originally possessed. According to Billy and Ms. Stone, the team no longer needed the coins to tap into The Great Power, so they were of little use to the them. "Alpha Five and I have been very busy upgrading your old 'zords, and I intend to borrow a page from Zordon's book and find myself five more teenagers with attitudes, and drop them and their 'zords directly into the hangar bay of that cruiser."  
  
"Where are you going to get five new Rangers?" Jason asked.  
  
"From Zordon's files," Ms. Stone replied. "Surely you wondered why Zack Taylor's family had decided to return to Angel Grove? With a little help from some friends, I made arrangements to get him and all of Zordon's replacement Rangers here," she looked at Kimberly. "Plus one that Rita and Zedd had plans for becoming their evil ranger."  
  
"What chance do they have against the Kregar with our old 'zords?" Adam asked.  
  
Billy pushed his glasses up from his nose, "Actually, I've seen the modifications Ms. Hayes has suggested. The new Tyrannozord can easily match the fire-power of our new 'zords." He shrugged, "Just not the versatility."  
  
Ms. Stone turned to Kim, "By the way Kimberly, I've been reviewing the old tapes from your first mission," she gave the petit chestnut-haired girl a teasing smile, "You're going to have to worry more about your particle cannons and flying than the cool stereo."  
  
Kimberly blushed, she knew that remark was eventually going to come back and haunt her. "Yes ma'am," she replied.  
  
"Why do I suddenly have the image of Kimberly flying into a fight with DANGER ZONE playing in the background?" Kyle asked innocently.  
  
Everyone laughed at that mental image, and the embarrassments they'd all felt earlier were put behind them, as the mission took precedence. Ms. Hayes continued to explain. "As you know doubt realize now, you're 'zords are no longer limited to simply one form, plus the mega-zord, and ultra- megazords . You can reconfigure them into several forms depending on your needs, as Billy, Jason and Kyle have already demonstrated."  
  
"What forms are available then?" Adam asked.  
  
Hayes smiled at him, "What forms do you want?" She turned and leaned back against the counter, "You guys still haven't even begun to touch the edges of what you've become. Those 'zords can be anything you want them to be- anything you have the will power to make them." She sighed and shook her head, "I understand that you're still awed by the power of what's happening to you, but keep this in mind. Even with all this new power, a victory against the Kregar still isn't guaranteed. So far, you've only fought against Rita and Zedd. Now you're going to see real fire power, and this is only a light cruiser. When the Kregar get here with their primary invasion force, you're going to be in for the fight of your lives."  
  
Kimberly felt a shudder run down her spine at the woman's words, as they continued to analyze and plan for the upcoming battle. She remembered the ferocity of the attack that never happened, in that battle before the Gray and it made her worry about the people who she loved.  
  
She looked over to where Tommy and Jason had their heads together with Billy as the three planned their strategy. The relationship between the three of them had strengthened over the past few weeks, not that it had ever been anything but strong, and Kim seriously suspected it had a great deal to do with the revelation of Jason's and Billy's relationship. It seemed to have brought their friendship into a whole new realm. Some part of her realized that for some reason it finally made Billy as much of Tommy's Little Bro as he was Jason's or Zack's.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Adam kept stealing glances over to where Kyle was doing his best to concentrate on what Jason as telling them about their attack strategy. However, he caught the raven-haired youth returning his glances on more than one occasion. He wasn't so much concerned about what had been revealed about their activities, as he was how it was going to affect their ability to work together as Power Rangers and as friends. He thought he'd crossed a line that may have cost him a friend.  
  
He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, "You're worried about something," Kim commented.  
  
Adam turned, smiled weakly at her and said, "Wouldn't you be?" He shrugged, "I mean what happened wasn't planned, it just happened. How would you feel if the first time you ever kissed a boy you'd gotten teleported into the Command Center with him?"  
  
"I see what you mean," Kimberly replied, "However, I don't think that's what's bothering you."  
  
Adam shrugged. Kim was right. He was confused. He'd never even considered the idea of being attracted to another guy until recently. In reality, he'd never even thought the idea of sex to be that appealing, it all seemed kind of messy and just a little frightening. However, getting to know Kyle, he'd discovered that the idea wasn't so bad after all. Now before he could really decide for himself, he'd had his quest for self- knowledge suddenly thrust into everybody's view. "At least Billy and Jason got a chance to decide on what they wanted, and to experiment in other areas before we all got to find out that they loved each other. I just had my first kiss exposed to the whole group."  
  
Kim chuckled at him, "Don't feel like the Lone Stranger. Jason told me that the same was true of Billy. Evidently that day in the park was our Blue Friend's first kiss too."  
  
  
  
Adam smiled, "Really? I would have thought he'd at least kissed Violet." He shrugged, "Anyway, he was the one who started that, knowing we were all there." He turned to look toward the holotank where the Red, Green, and Blue Rangers were developing a strategy for taking out the drop ships while in the air.  
  
Kim sighed and turned his face to look at her, "Really? You know what that first time we used the Power felt like that day. Billy was running on an emotional high, created by the rush of the fight. I wouldn't grant him too much testosterone credit for that kiss if I were you."  
  
"You think so?" Adam asked.  
  
"I know so," Kim said. They stood there listening the battle plan for long moments, as Adam considered her words. Finally she said, "I'm not going to ask if you love him, after all, you've only known him a short while. But, I am going to ask you if you intend to find out."  
  
Adam shrugged, "If he wants to I guess. I'm not going to push anything. I don't want him to think I'm trying to replace his first love."  
  
"That's sweet," Kimberly told him. "But don't wait too long to talk to him. I know it sounds cold, and I don't mean it that way, but you heard Ms. Stone. We could all die soon, and I'd hate to see one or both of my friends feeling like they had a chance to tell the other how they felt and never did."  
  
Adam turned to face Kimberly, surprised at her insight, "Since when did you get so smart?"  
  
She shrugged and smiled, "Eh, I've always been smart. You guys just have never noticed before."  
  
****************************************************************  
  
"Missiles away!" Tommy said as he fired the missiles on the leading edge of the wings of his falconzord and banked hard, barely avoiding the blast of energy from the falling drop ship. Checking his scanners, he realized that the missiles had not even scratched the surface of the egg shaped vehicle. He smiled weakly as he keyed the mic, "No good, they impacted on the surface, they didn't go in." He quoted his favorite movie.  
  
Suddenly his targeting warning klaxon went off, and he banked hard to port, and pulled up on the yoke as a huge energy bolt slammed into the ground below him. The mother ship was targeting him!  
  
"Use your scanners, find a weak point in the armor," Ms. Stone's irritatingly calm voice came over the speakers. It should be somewhere near the juncture of the heat deflector plates at the top of the ship."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Tommy radioed back.  
  
Tommy brought the falconzord around for a second strafing attack on the drop ship, dodging more of mother ship's blasts from orbit. Getting a solid lock on the juncture Ms. Stone suggested, he fired the 'zord's particle cannons. Twin beams of annihilation energy lanced out to strike dead on target. Keeping himself in a steep stoop to avoid any more attacks from above, he watched as the punishing energy of the cannons peeled away the hull plating of the Kregar attack craft. Finally, closing to almost point blank range, he fired a full volley of missiles into the area he'd been hitting with the cannons, before he pulled out of the stoop. Looking back over his shoulder, he watched the ship slowly erupt into a fiery ball of hot plasma, that rained down pieces of ship, and walkers onto the city below. To his dismay, he saw several of the walkers right themselves as they scanned area for targets to attack.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Jason watched as the walkers that fell from the exploding drop ship began to right themselves. Cursing to himself silently, he charged his Grizzlyzord into a group of them, batting the smaller craft to one side. Extending the huge claws from the 'zord's paws, he raked two of the Kregar walkers into a bear hug. Pouring power into the crushing force of the 'zord's arms he watched as the stress on the structural integrity fields increased. Finally, in a satisfying series of explosions, he felt the smaller walkers crushed into so much scrap metal.  
  
Dropping them, he turned to where his sensors showed that he was being targeted by a walker that was just a little larger than the others. Dropping his 'zord to what Billy liked to call four-paw all-terrain mode, he charged the walker. Suddenly the 'zord was rocked by a blast as the Kregar energy weapon grazed its right shoulder. Jason realized that the Kregar had been targeting the 'zord's groin area.  
  
Closing the last few hundred yards in a steady run, he brought the 'zord back up into an erect posture and swiped again at the smaller walker. He was surprised to encounter only air, as the smaller vehicle launched itself over the head of his craft, like the grasshopper it resembled.  
  
Turning to face where the walker had landed on the side of a building- which by the way was beginning to collapse from the extra weight of the seventy-five feet of war machine clinging to it's surface- he caught a second blast from the walker's twin lasers.  
  
He felt the temperature in his 'zord rise as the heat from the punishing energy being poured into his Grizzlyzord's shields. That energy tried to find some place to which to escape. His sensors suddenly went blank from his heat sinks overloading, so he swagged it. Lashing out blindly with a forepaw, he swept the offending walker from the building. Before the smaller craft could recover its feet, he leapt with Grizzlyzord and came down on the juncture of the walker's head and leg. Jason heard a satisfying grinding of metal, as his own 'zord crumpled the walker under its weight.  
  
"Just like in sixth grade," Kim's voice came over the radio, "you're throwing your weight around, again." His friend reminded him of an embarrassing time when he was thirteen and had tried to solve all of their problems through intimidation.  
  
"Well next time, I'll just wait around for you distract them by stripping," he teased back.  
  
"Won't work," Kimberly told him. "I have it on good authority that they're all piloted by women."  
  
Jason smiled to himself and gave her something to think about, "What's that got to do with it? You know a matriarchical society would probably embrace all-female sex."  
  
"Ooooh!!!," Kimberly protested over the radio.  
  
"Good one Big Bro," Adam interrupted. Jason was mildly surprised at the comment coming from their shy friend.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Adam felt his Ravenzord rock under the force of another aerial bombardment from the Kregar mothership. Fighting for control of the craft, he brought her in low, and twisted hard on the yaw control so he was literally flying sideways down the concrete canyons of Angel Grove. Can't keep this up for long. Turned this way, the wings have absolutely no lift. Just, as he felt the primary feathers of the Ravenzord scrape the asphalt of the street below, he hit an open area of the city and brought the craft back to flight mode to regain some altitude. Looking over his shoulder, he saw black smoke pouring from the aft section of his craft.  
  
"You just keep your tail feathers out of the fire," Jase told him.  
  
"You worry about Billy's tail, I'll worry about Adam's" Kyle's voice interrupted the team leader as twin beams of yellow ion energy lanced past him to knock a walker that was targeting him from the roof of a nearby building.  
  
"Sorry Kyle," Jason's voice came back over the radio, "didn't know you'd officially staked a claim."  
  
"Yeah well, now you do," Kyle told him. Adam was shocked to hear that. He wasn't sure how he felt about Kyle, but some small part of him was pleased that at least Kyle felt something too.  
  
Forcing the conversation from his mind, Adam pulled up hard on the yoke and brought the Ravenzord into a zigzag climb to avoid any more blasts from space. Suddenly, the night sky lit up with an explosion from somewhere in orbit. "Jeeze! I hope they got off there in time!" he said into his mic.  
  
"Don't worry," Ms. Stone told them over the radio. "I've recovered all five of the other Rangers, safe and sound."  
  
"Hey man, you guys take care out there now," Zack's voice came over the radio. "Have we got a story to tell you?!"  
  
"We'll be there to hear it," Adam growled into the mic as he brought the Ravenzord back onto an attack run for another drop ship. "Just as soon as we clean up this mess here!" He fired the 'zords particle cannons at the top of the drop ship, while extending its talons.  
  
Dodging several defensive blasts from the enemy craft, he continued with his weapons lock watching his own power levels pushed to the max. Slowly, the armor plating at the top of the drop ship peeled away as he closed with the huge invading craft. At the last moment he killed the particle cannons, pulled the craft up, and then back down until he felt the 'zord's talons bite into the metal of the target. Closing the claws, and rotating the 'zord's feet backwards, he brought the wings forward and climbed, pulling the drop ship with him like rabbit caught in a raptor's stoop.  
  
Banking with his prize, he fought the lack of aerodynamics his 'zord was suddenly experiencing. This is sure the hell different from piloting the mastodon. It was like trying steer a pregnant whale using only a towel for a sail. Finally getting the 'zord onto the course he wanted, he accelerated until he could see his target. Diving at the second drop ship, he released the one caught in his talons and let gravity do the rest for him. He banked hard away into a victory roll, with a certain raven- haired youth on his mind.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
Kyle brought the Raccoonzord back down the street, getting a good lock on all the targets in the area. Somehow, he got the feeling that this particular configuration had the best sensor suite of all the 'zords. From what he was reading from his teammate's attacks, he knew that the twin particle cannons that fired from the Raccoonzord's eyes were at least twice as powerful as anything anyone else was using. Except for the slightly larger versions he'd taken to referring to as command walkers, most of the invaders couldn't take a single blast from his cannons.  
  
However, he also noticed with some trepidation that this configuration, while much more agile than the others, offered a whole lot less protection from the Kregar weapons. He'd taken several hits that were going to take a long time to repair, and his structural integrity field was almost down to thirty-three percent. He knew what would happen when it dropped to below ten percent. The 'zord would collapse under its own weight.  
  
Locking weapons on one of the command walkers that were targeting the Wolfzord, he shifted more power from the deflector shields into the cannons. He smiled quietly to himself as the beams literally punched a hole clean through the command walker. Two seconds later, he was engulfed in blackness and explosions as four of the smaller walkers unleashed combined attack on him.  
  
***************************************************************** Kimberly watched in horror, as Kyle's Raccoonzord was engulfed four fiery blasts of energy from a concentrated attack. Bringing her Cranezord around for a closer look, she fired everything she had in a deadly ring of explosions around the fallen 'zord. She said into her radio, "Hang on Kyle, I'm coming in to get you."  
  
As her own 'zord set down on the yellow hunk of smoldering metal, she watched as two of the four she hit, came walking through the. Omigosh, gotta' hurry! She popped the escape hatch on the bottom of Cranezord and dropped down onto what was left of the canopy of the Raccoonzord. Willing strength into her arms, she peeled the transparent material back and dropped into the cockpit next to Kyle.  
  
Looking around, she noticed that the readouts on the 'zord showed it in a self-repair mode. More disturbing however, it showed that Kyle had drained all the 'zord's defenses. The particle cannons showed a full charge, but the SIF was almost empty. Gathering her fallen comrade up over one shoulder she flipped several controls to redistribute the 'zord's energy. She said into her radio, "Somebody needs to tell the Farm boy that if he drains his shields he won't last very long in a fight."  
  
"What?!" Jase's and Adam said simultaneously.  
  
"He drained all his defenses to take out as many of the Kregar as he could. They couldn't take his blasts, but he couldn't take many of theirs either." She flipped another switch and the 'zord began to dissolve around her. "I'm sending it back to the bay for repairs."  
  
Pulling herself and her unconscious comrade into he own cockpit, she looked up in time to see the last two walkers rotating around to target her own vulnerable 'zord. "Uh oh. Guys, I think I'm in trouble."  
  
Suddenly both of the enemy 'zords were bowled over by a huge blue wolf, and a familiar friendly voice came over her radio, "Belgarion's got nothing on me!"  
  
Kimberly slowly gained altitude, and headed back toward the Command Center. She watched on her scanners, as below Billy tore into the last two invaders.  
  
************************************************************* 


	8. Cleaning up the Messes

The Second Chances Saga: Chapter 8: Cleaning up the messes Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission. Timeline is modern as opposed to a few years in the past. There  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
Author's Note: There are so many good fiction pieces I've been reading in this fandom lately that I've found myself becoming a regular little thief. This piece started out as a companion piece to Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER// FAIRER THAN DEATH and pretty much uses most of what she's established there as its premise. However, I've also integrated several events from other writers as well, including Dagmar Buse (My student's LOVED Perfectly Good Reasons) and Serendipity. So I'm afraid all the lovely ladies are going to have to get in line lynch me.  
  
Jason shook his head as he looked at the devastation shown on the holotank in the Command Center. Fortunately, most of the attack was limited to the Grant Center area of Angel Grove, a section of the city that was in desperate need of renovation anyway. As bad as things were, they were nowhere nearly as bad as they could have been. Most of the damage was to condemned buildings and rundown tenements that should be condemned. Ms. Hayes was sitting beside him shaking her head, "I haven't seen this kind of property damage since Dad and Ragnarok went toe to toe in DC."  
  
"Huh?" Jason asked.  
  
Ms. Hayes turned and faced him, "It was something that happened in my world. Let's just say when my Dad was forced out of retirement, half the city was damaged."  
  
Jase smiled, "It must have been strange growing up the daughter of a superhero."  
  
Winter smiled, "I don't know. It's all I ever knew, so I don't really have anything to compare it with." She zoomed into the area around the devastation where EMS services were having difficulty in controlling the fires. Standing up she said grimly, "We'll help."  
  
"What?" Jason asked.  
  
"We helped make the mess, the least we can do is help clean it up." Turning, she looked at him, "Take Tommy, Adam and Kimberly, down to the docks along with your 'zords and help move that rubble onto the barges. Use the scanners on the 'zords to find out if anybody is trapped in those collapsed buildings."  
  
Jase felt himself smile. Zordon had never allowed them to use the 'zords to help cleanup after trashing a section of downtown. Nor had he ever allowed them to assist in the hunt for survivors, it was considered too much of a threat their secret identities. "Yes ma'am!"  
  
Hayes smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder, "That's one of the things that I did learn from my dad. Being a hero is more than fighting monsters. It's doing what you can to help ease pain and suffering, and taking the responsibility for that when you cause it, intentionally or not." Then she gave him a wink, "Besides, it'll keep Adam's mind off the infirmary."  
  
Jason grinned at her, "You're a very wicked woman Ms. Hayes." Then thinking of what shed told him, he continued, "One of these days you're going to have to sit down and tell me about your dad, uh dads."  
  
She smiled at him as he exited the room to find the others. Just before leaving he heard her say, "I think I'd like that, Jason. I think I'd like that very much."  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Billy glanced up at the readouts on the diagnostic bed. According to the readings, the Power was slowly healing the Yellow Ranger, but it was going to take a while. Although his armor protected him from most of the blast that hit the Raccoonzord, enough of an electrical charge got through that Kyle was severely burned and there was a chance of slight neurological damage.  
  
Shaking his head, he sat down next to the raven-haired boy's bed, and waited. It was all he could do for now, sit, wait, and monitor. He understood that there was probably someone else out there who'd rather be in here, but everyone understood that he was the best qualified to monitor the situation. To be honest, he'd rather be out there with Jason, but he had a duty, a duty to the Rangers, a duty to his commander, and a duty to his new friend. He was going to fulfill that duty no matter what.  
  
He also had a sneaking suspicion about what was going on in Kyle's head. He hoped to heaven that he was wrong, but there was still a nagging doubt, and he intended to find out if it was true or not. So, he sat back in the chair, a book in hand, and waited for his friend to come around.  
  
Several hours later, Kyle groaned slightly, raised a hand to his head, and seemed immediately to regret it. Billy stood, checked the readouts and waited for the boy to open his eyes. "I would ask how you feel, but that is information I can easily ascertain from looking at your face."  
  
"Cranston, did anyone ever tell you that you have a lousy bedside manner?" Kyle joked.  
  
Billy smiled at him, "On occasion. However, they tell me that I'm an even worse patient."  
  
Kyle smiled weakly, "No doubt."  
  
"What happened out there?" Billy asked carefully, "Kimberly said that you'd drained all your 'zord's defenses to take out the Kregar walkers."  
  
He watched as Kyle slowly remembered what had happened out there. He'd been pretty stupid, and it had nearly cost him his life, "I figured I'd take out as many as I could before I went down."  
  
Billy gave him a long look trying to bore past those sky blue eyes to the truth beneath them. "You were expecting to die in that fight weren't you?" he asked neutrally.  
  
Kyle shrugged nonchalantly and said, "It was a possibility." He tried to sit up in bed.  
  
Billy pushed him gently back down, "Lay back down, Farmboy." He sighed. "I'm going to tell you something that if it ever leaves this room, I'll know it was you, and I'll reprogram the Morphin' grid to drop you somewhere in the Arctic nude and with nothing but a sock full of pennies." Kyle started to protest, but Billy cut him off.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he began. "When I was ten years old, I was miserable. My mother had died the year before, and my dad wasn't in very good shape himself. Fourth grade had been a nightmare. I had lost my mom, I spent a eight weeks in care with my uncle- which is something I DO NOT wish to discuss- while my dad recovered, and had been beaten up at least once a week at school. That summer I found out that I would be transferring to another school due to redistricting in our neighborhood and THAT was the only reason I had for going on. The hope that things might would get better at Blue Spring at least gave me some hope. I had been wrong, and I knew it from the first week."  
  
"What's all this got to do with me?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Just shut up and listen, Kyle." Billy told the other boy irritably. "I have only ever told one other person about this, but I think it's something you need to hear."  
  
Kyle leaned back and Billy could see just a little shock in his friend's eyes, "Okay."  
  
"Anyway, life was a living hell for me at that time. I was hurting because of my mom's death," Billy fought back the pain those memories brought. Pausing long enough to regain some semblance of control to his voice he continued, "My dad wasn't much help, he'd withdrawn into his own pain, and could barely do what was necessary to keep us going financially and physically. Mind you, it wasn't that he didn't care, he just didn't have the strength to do anything more than what he was doing. He was on medication for depression and seeing a therapist at the time trying to cope with what happened. I knew that I was the only reason he hadn't gone on to join her."  
  
Billy paused in his narration to gather his thoughts. Having this discussion with Jason right after being thrown off the Kingsley building was one thing. Telling it to someone whom he'd known for such a short time was not usually his way of dealing with things, but he thought that Kyle needed to hear it. He began again, "It wasn't so much that I wanted to die, I just didn't want to be alive anymore. After that first week, I had plans of cleaning out my desk that Friday, going home and taking an overdose of sleeping pills."  
  
He watched Kyle start to protest, but something he must have seen in Billy's eyes stopped him. "Anyway, on my way home, I got cornered by about half a dozen sixth graders. Normally, I could outrun them- I may have been small then but I was fast, but this time I didn't even try." He shrugged and tried to put his feelings into words. Try as he might, he could not dredge up what he felt as a ten year old. He wasn't the same boy anymore and the emotions that had made him so desperate then weren't inside him anymore. "I figured that if I let them kick me to death, I'd save my dad the extra grief of his son committing suicide."  
  
"Billy, that's." Kyle seemed to be a loss for words.  
  
"I said, be quiet, Farm boy," he joked before continuing. His next few memories, although somewhat more pleasant were still choked with emotion. "All of a sudden, this red whirlwind of punches and kicks came out of nowhere screaming like a banshee." Billy laughed at the image in his mind, "I guess a lot of what I remember of those events is colored by what I feel now, but at the time it seemed almost supernatural. It was like a god had come down from Olympus to save me. A god dressed in red with eyes like midnight. In a very short time the six big kids were on the run, and Jason was seeing if I was all right." He sighed at remembering those serious eyes as they sought to help him in his darkest hour. "He took me home and introduced me to his mom, who immediately administered first aid and brownies, and then called my dad to make sure it was okay if I had dinner with them. Not long after that, I met Zack, and Trini- I already knew of Kim, and we all became friends." He sighed, "we all had quite a few adventures after that, including a brief stay in detention, that if you want to know about you'll have to ask Kimberly. It was all a big understanding and we all had perfectly good reasons for being there, but those adventures were nothing like what we're living now. Anyway, Jason saved my life," he paused and added, "and my soul, that day. Kimberly saved your life today. Don't let your soul go too. We need you, and oddly enough, we're starting to love you. Don't take yourself away from us yet."  
  
"I'm not sure I understand what you're telling me, Billy," Kyle told him, but his tone indicated to Billy that at least some of what he was trying to say got through.  
  
Billy sighed, "I'm trying to tell you that no matter how dark you may think things might be right now, don't take yourself out of the game just yet. You never know what the next hand might hold."  
  
"And what if I keep getting the same lousy deal?" Kyle asked him.  
  
"Then you've got friends who'll re-deal the hand for you." Billy told him calmly.  
  
"Billy, I screwed up my life in Kentucky and got somebody I cared about killed. Now I'm making the same mistakes again."  
  
"What that kiss you and Adam were sharing?" Billy asked.  
  
Kyle nodded, "I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think everybody was too distracted by. . .," Billy knew he was blushing at the memories of what had transpired earlier in the Command Center, ". . .other things."  
  
"Oh, the fact that you and Jason were primin' each other's pumps when you got teleported in?" Kyle kidded him in that strangely musical Appalachian accent of his.  
  
"Colorfully expressed, but essentially yes," Billy told him. Then remembering the other two boy's positions on the floor, another thought occurred to him. If Adam was on top, it was hard to imagine the Black Ranger wanting to resist anything that might have happened. "Did Adam say no? Did he indicate that he might have wanted you to stop? Based on what I saw, it was a pretty mutual exchange of affection going on between you two." Kyle started to protest but again Billy cut him off, "Just think about two things for me. Adam seemed to be enjoying what was happening as much as you were. Talk to him about it. You may be pleasantly surprised at what he has to say. I know I was about what Jason had to say."  
  
Kyle nodded and said, "I will." A long silence passed between the two of them, before he finally asked, "and the second thing?"  
  
Billy smiled at him, "If you take yourself out of this world and end up hurting my friend Adam in the process, I'll be very upset with you." Pushing the raven-haired boy back onto the bed he told him. "Now you get some sleep, and when you wake up, I'll make sure you've got some dinner." Winking at him, "I'll even make sure someone else prepares it, God only knows my cooking probably WOULD kill you."  
  
Kyle leaned back into the bed, "Thanks Cranston."  
  
Billy left the room smiling, "Just don't make a habit of it, Kerry."  
  
******************************************************  
  
"How's he doing?" Tommy could hear the worry in Adam's voice as they reentered the Command Center. Cleanup had taken less time than any of them had anticipated. After all, a 'Zord capable of smashing a building can be useful in cleaning up one that has been smashed. They'd also been able to find several people who'd been trapped in the rubble by using the advanced sensor suites on the 'zords. All in all, it had been a good day, if an exhausting one.  
  
Billy looked up at them as they all gathered around for an update. "He's eating, now."  
  
"Not your cooking, I hope," Jason protested.  
  
Billy shook his head and smiled, "No. I asked the new Black Ranger to prepare a meal for him." He turned to Adam, "You're friend Rocky is actually very good at the culinary arts."  
  
"Rocky is one of the new Rangers?" Adam asked shocked. Billy nodded, and Tommy watched the interplay of emotions across the young Korean boy's face.  
  
"Cool," Adam smiled, "I always hated hiding the fact that I'm a Power Ranger from him. Turning back to Billy Adam asked, "Can I see him?"  
  
Tommy watched the Blue Ranger's eyes twinkle as he told Adam, "Sure, he's cleaning up the dishes after cooking."  
  
Adam stopped a second, before he realized who Billy meant, "Not Rocky, you jerk!"  
  
Billy laughed, "Sure. Go on in." His voice suddenly became serious, "I think you two have a lot to discuss." But Tommy noticed that Billy didn't yet move from in front of the door. "But before you do, I want a word with you," looking over at Tommy, Jase, and Kimberly he added, "alone."  
  
Tommy put an arm around Kimberly and smiled at Jase, "I think I liked your boyfriend better when he wasn't quite so pushy."  
  
He watched as Jase looked questioningly back over his shoulder, "I'm not sure I don't agree with you."  
  
"Woah there, Jase," Tommy reached out and stopped Jase, "what do you mean by that?"  
  
Jason shrugged, "nothing really. It's just this is a side of him, I'm not used to seeing. I like it, but I keep expecting him go back to the way he was before we died."  
  
"It's probably not going to happen, Jason," Mrs. Hayes said as they entered the main Power Chamber.  
  
"How do you know?" Tommy asked this woman who seemed to know more about them than he was entirely comfortable with.  
  
She shrugged, "You guys have spent a lot of time trying to get him to come out of his shell. You did a good job, but now he's got to finish coming out on his own." She smiled at Jason and winked, "To paraphrase a line from a Susan Sarandon song, "he's tasted blood and he wants more."  
  
"Huh?" Jason asked, although Tommy thought he understood.  
  
"You," Tommy told him. "Most of his life, he's seen you as some kind of unattainable goal. Now he's got you, and that's given him the confidence to start asking for other things he wants."  
  
"Like what?" Jason asked.  
  
"Respect, recognition for his accomplishments," Tommy continued. "Think of it as his next belt, Jase. With each belt, his level of confidence increases." He shook his head, "Don't misunderstand me, he's probably not going to suddenly become Joe Cool, and his personality really isn't going to change all that much. He is going to start going after things he wants though, and that's a good thing."  
  
Kimberly smiled at him, "Looks like your Little Bro is growing up. I'd say you should look for him to start dressing a little nicer, paying closer attention to how he looks, that kind of thing."  
  
"Why?" Jason asked.  
  
Kimberly smiled and punched her old friend in the shoulder, something Tommy understood that she rarely did, "For you silly. He's trying to make sure you notice him, pay attention to him, still love him."  
  
"Of course I notice him," Jase told her. "I pay attention to him." Tommy heard something in his old friends voice that warmed him all the way to his bones, "and I'll never stop loving him. It took me a long time to realize what kind of love it was, but I'm not about to let it get away from me now that I know."  
  
Tommy should have seen the setup coming. Jason could be forgiven, he'd been distracted by Billy lately, Tommy felt he had no excuse for not recognizing the neat little trap his girlfriend had set for them. She smiled sweetly, bounced over to the Red Ranger and kissed him lightly on the cheek before saying, "Then ask him to the Fall Mixer." She turned and batted her eyes at Tommy then, and he knew he was sunk. "I'd love the chance to take him shopping for a new suit for it."  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Billy had given him a lot to consider, and knowing that Kyle was at least capable of committing suicide in the past worried him even more. By his own admission he'd walked into the first fight looking to die. Adam entered the room where Kyle was finishing his meal. Noticing how much better the Yellow Ranger looked now, than when Kim had brought him into the Command Center, all burned and ashen faced, Adam smiled to himself. "Hey Farmboy, how're you feeling?"  
  
Kyle looked back over at him and smiled, "Like I just went ten rounds with Tyson."  
  
Adam grinned back at him and checked the sides of Kyle's head, "Nah, can't be. You still got both ears."  
  
They both chuckled, and Adam sat down, "You scared me, Kyle. Don't do that again."  
  
"I didn't mean to," Kyle said.  
  
Adam gave him a long steady look, and reached out and took the raven- haired boy's hand, "Good, because you and I have some unfinished business."  
  
"Such as?" Kyle asked him warily. Adam could tell the other boy was concerned about what had happened yesterday.  
  
Adam wasn't sure why he answered the way he did, maybe it was lack of sleep, maybe it was because he thought it might be funny, or maybe it was just to prove a point. He said, "This," and then he leaned over and gently kissed Kyle on the lips. He noticed with some satisfaction that the tempo of the heart monitor's beeps increased dramatically, and there was a slight rise in the pale yellow blanket covering Kyle as he stood back up.  
  
"Do that again, and we'll have 'Doctor' Cranston," in here checking on us," Kyle joked.  
  
"And I'll toss him out on his kiester," Adam smile back before sitting down in the chair. "Look Kyle," Adam began, "Up until recently, I really didn't have a whole lot of interest in romance, sex, girls, OR boys. To be honest with you, the whole idea seemed like it was too messy, and a whole lot more energy than it was worth." He sighed, "But my talks with you lately have made me realize that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I am interested in somebody," he gave Kyle a knowing look.  
  
"And you think that somebody is me?" Kyle asked him neutrally.  
  
Adam swallowed and nodded before barely whispering, "yes."  
  
********************************************************** 


	9. The Dark in Our Own Souls

The Second Chances Saga: Chapter 9: The Dark of Our Own Souls  
  
Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission. Timeline is modern as opposed to a few years in the past. There  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
Author's Note: There are so many good fiction pieces I've been reading in this fandom lately that I've found myself becoming a regular little thief. This piece started out as a companion piece to Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER// FAIRER THAN DEATH and pretty much uses most of what she's established there as its premise. However, I've also integrated several events from other writers as well, including Dagmar Buse (My student's LOVED Perfectly Good Reasons) and Serendipity. So I'm afraid all the lovely ladies are going to have to get in line lynch me.  
  
Six o'clock Monday morning, Kyle walked into the Command Center put his yellow book bag down on the console, and waited for Ms. Stone to finish whatever adjustment she was making to Alpha before she too went off to her new job as Angel Grove High School Counselor. After several long minutes, she looked over at him- even sitting cross-legged on the floor her head was even with his- and asked, "Something on your mind Kyle?"  
  
Kyle nodded and replied, "Yes ma'am."  
  
After another minute she said, "You goin' to make me drag it out of you, or you gonna' ask your question?"  
  
Kyle took a deep breath and plunged in, "I had a question about the not using our powers for personal gain thing."  
  
She put the high-tech tool down, lay her hands in her lap and smiled at him, "You haven't robbed Fort Knox or anything have you?"  
  
Kyle smiled at the giantess and replied, "No ma'am, nothing like that."  
  
"Come on boy, spit it out," she said, her own Southern accent getting deeper.  
  
"I was just wondering, with school starting back today and all, and Jason, and Billy being new in their relationship and all, and Adam and I startin' to see each other an' all, and after what happened in Kentucky an' all.,"  
  
"You got a point in there anywhere son, or are you just givin' me a litany of everythin' that's happened to the Rangers in the past few weeks?" By now she was deep into the her role as the Southern Matriarch.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," he sighed. "It's like this, back in Kentucky when everybody found out I was gay, I toted a beatin' at least once a week." He remembered what Billy had told him of his time before meeting Jason, "Well, I don't know Billy that well, but I'm afraid some of the things that I had to go through he's going to face."  
  
"Such as?" she asked warily.  
  
"Well, you know I was in line for the Pan Global gymnastics team until I broke my arm don't you?" She nodded, and he continued, "The reason I broke my arm is that eight linebackers from our football team decided to play 'smear the queer' with me in the boys bathroom."  
  
"You're worried about people beating up Billy because he's gay?" Ms. Stone asked.  
  
Kyle nodded, "I'm worried about him thinking that he can't fight back because he holds the Power."  
  
She thought about his words momentarily, before leaning back and giving him a knowing look, "To be honest, I'd be more worried about you not fighting back than he."  
  
"Actually, I'm sort of the other way around. I'm likely to try and take as many of them with me as I can" he blushed and looked down. "That's what I did back in Raceland. That's how I got my arm busted."  
  
"Kyle, look at me," she ordered him, "It's not a violation to defend yourself, or others for that matter." She sighed, "I'll talk to Billy, Jason and Adam about it too."  
  
Kyle smiled at her, and retrieved his book bag. "Thanks, that's a load off my mind." He'd been worried about how the school was going to react to Billy and Jason, and now him and Adam since he found out he wasn't the only person on the team with same sex attractions. He knew first hand how cruel high school kids could be, and didn't want to see his new friends hurt.  
  
"Don't worry about it Kyle. I think they're big boys. They can take care of themselves." She put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him before he threw himself into the teleportation grid, "And they've got good friends like you to help."  
  
He simply smiled to himself said, "Yes, ma'am," and threw himself into the grid.  
  
********************************************************  
  
Kim came bouncing into the school auditorium and her eyes went immediately to where the other Rangers were gathered in one corner quietly talking to a small group of others. She recognized Zack of course, after she realized it was him wearing red, and then there was Rocky, Adam's friend, dressed in jeans and a black tee-shirt, a slight blonde girl she didn't recognize wearing pink, and two African American girls, one wearing yellow and the other blue. Jason, Tommy, and Billy were all ready there. She saw no sign of Kyle anywhere as she walked up smiling and slipped under Tommy's arm. "Hey guys, what's up?"  
  
"Zack was telling us about his team's activities the other day. Evidently they had a very good first outing," Billy said standing VERY close to Jason without actually touching him. Kim noticed Rocky giving them both strange looks.  
  
Kim turned to the rest of them, "Wonderful," she threw on her best Pink Ranger smile and offered her hand, "I'm Kim."  
  
The blonde wearing pink smiled back and said in an Australian accent, "I'm Katherine Hilliard; it's a pleasure to meet you." Kimberly noticed that the blonde kept stealing glances at Billy.  
  
"I'm Aisha Campbell," the girl wearing yellow told her.  
  
"I'm Tanya Sloan," said the girl in the blue dress.  
  
Adam piped in, "And you already know Rocky and Zack."  
  
"Hiya guys," Kimberly smiled at the others. "Welcome to the team."  
  
"Kimberly?" An unexpected voice came from behind her. Turning, she saw Bulk and Skull standing looking rather like they had something important to say.  
  
"Yes?" she tried not to let the strain show in her voice. These two had been a thorn in her side since second grade. Off to the side she could feel, Jase, Tommy, and Billy close ranks.  
  
"We just wanted to say," Skull turned and looked nervously at Bulk.  
  
The bigger boy pushed Skull aside and continued, "I'll do it you numbskull," he straightened the leather vest he was wearing and said, "We just wanted to let you guys know that we're sorry about what happened to Trini." He looked over at Jason and Billy, "And congratulations to you two." Then hitching up his jeans, "But we still think you're geeks, though." The two turned and walked off.  
  
Billy reached up for the glasses he wasn't wearing and then blushed lightly at not finding them there. "Now that is an event I would have wagered never to see in my lifetime."  
  
"Just goes to show you that not everybody is as bad as they want you to think they are," Tommy smiled.  
  
"What did he mean by congratulations?" Rocky asked nervously.  
  
The original Rangers all exchanged nervous glances. Jason finally sighed, "I guess it's going to eventually get out anyway. It's not like we're want to hide anything," he looked back to Bulk and Skull's retreating forms, "although I wonder how those two found out," he put an arm around Billy's shoulder," I guess the best way to put it is that Billy and I are sort of dating."  
  
Kimberly groaned, "Jason! Sort of dating? That's like saying Madonna is sort of a pop star." She punched him. She was not going to let him get away with treating Billy like some kind of second hand relationship. "Either you're dating or your not, and if you're not, then I really want you to explain to me about Saturday."  
  
Jason blushed deeply, "Would it make you feel better if I grabbed him and French kissed him right here in the gym?"  
  
"I'd rather you didn't," Billy protested. "Whereas I have no qualms about our relationship being known, I would like to avoid being assigned detention for public displays of affection on the first day of school." Everybody chuckled, as Billy turned to face Rocky.  
  
"Why? You have a problem with it?" Kimberly knew that the tone of her voice made it clear that he'd better not.  
  
Rocky's gaze kept sweeping back and forth between Jason and Billy, and then to Tommy and Kim, and then finally back to Adam. "I don't know. It's sort of sudden and all. I never expected Jason Scott, big man on campus, deca-county athletic champion, to be qu. . .,"  
  
"Rocky!" Adam's voice cut him off, "you finish that word and as Kyle would say," he pitched his voice into an Appalachian accent, "I'll take you out behind the woodshed."  
  
Everybody laughed at the remark, and the tension was broken. Rocky finally shrugged, "I'm sorry. It just takes some getting used to."  
  
"What takes some getting used to?" Kyle asked as he joined them, his own true voice setting off peals of laughter among the rest of them. Kim noticed that he was wearing a nice yellow polo shirt with black jeans and Reeboks. His hair was neatly groomed and he had a faint odor of vanilla about him.  
  
Rocky grinned and gently punched Jason in the shoulder, "just the idea of Jason here swapping spit with Billy."  
  
Kim heard something dangerous in Kyle's voice, "and that is a problem why?"  
  
Rocky shrugged and Kim could see that he was trying to make an effort to sound casual, "Just takes some getting used to I guess. It's not the kind of thing that goes over well in my family."  
  
"Rocky," Adam interjected looking over to his other friend Aisha for help, "I think we need to talk."  
  
Before Rocky could reply, Zack stepped in with his usual exuberant self, "It is so great to be back in Angel Grove! God! I've missed this place!" He danced a quick couple of little steps around Kyle put an arm across his shoulder and Kim heard him whisper to the raven-haired boy, "Chill Farmboy, give it a chance to sink in before you get all medieval on him."  
  
Kyle turned and growled at Kimberly, but she could see the twinkle of playfulness in his eyes, "This is your fault. You had to go and start calling me Farmboy, and now it's caught on. I have never lived on a farm in my life! I lived in a nice little suburb on the Ohio River in a two- story house, with a two-car garage and a DSL modem. I am not a country bumpkin!"  
  
"Then lose the accent, Dan'l Boone," Tommy teased him. This is California, as long as you sound like that, then people are going to assume that you're some hick racist redneck who's favorite sport is shootin' 'possums in the middle of the night." He shrugged, "It's not right, but it's the way things are."  
  
Kyle stepped up toe to toe with the Green Ranger and smiled, "I'll have you know that the only time I've ever killed a 'possum is when I hit it with my dad's car coming home from a meet one night." He turned and looked at the rest of the group the smile gone from his tone and his eyes, "As for being a racist, I really hope that you guys don't believe that." Kim noticed that several of them glanced down and she realized that maybe the idea had crossed their minds. She understood that many of them had wondered at how Kyle would deal with the racially balanced group of friends they had. Southerners did have a certain reputation after all. His gaze stopped to where Adam was looking down at the ground. "Not you too?" he protested. Then turning on his heels, he walked off muttering to himself, "I guess, I just got a lesson in prejudice."  
  
"I think maybe we all did," Billy said to the group. "I myself have to confess to a certain reticence about Kyle's feelings on the issues of race among us. I think that whereas we tend to recognize each other as being of different ethnic backgrounds, and embrace those differences, perhaps we felt that being from the South, he was incapable of it."  
  
"I'll go talk to him," Adam said, but Jason stopped him. "No I think I should. He's gone out of his way to defend Billy and me, and this was a poor way for us to repay him." Kimberly watched as the Red Ranger headed off after Kyle.  
  
Rocky looked over at Adam with a questioning look, "What was that all about Bro? I know you've been spending a lot of time with him. . .," the tall Hispanic youth suddenly stopped mid-sentence as something seemed to dawn on him, "You," he pointed in the general direction that Kyle and Jason went, "him" he pointed back to Adam and then shook his head, "oh, man, this is going to be one interesting year. The school's star athlete, the genius, and my best friend are all gay. . .," his speech deteriorated into Spanglish- which was a sure sign that he was upset.  
  
"Rocky," Adam began.  
  
"Look Bro," Rocky held up his hands, "I've got to have some time to think about this, okay?" He headed off by himself.  
  
"Why do I get the impression I just missed something important," Katherine commented.  
  
"It's a very long story, Katherine," Billy told her. "Most of it has to do with agreements made while we were in the Gray."  
  
"In the Gray?" Zack asked.  
  
Billy nodded, and checked his watch. "Why don't we all sit down and we'll catch you up as much as we can. We've still got a little time before first bell."  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"Kyle, wait up," Jason called after the raven-haired Yellow Ranger. "We need to talk."  
  
Kyle stopped, turned and looked up at him, and for just a second, Jase could have sworn he saw the tracks of tear shaped shadows down his face. "What do you want, Scott?" The pain and hurt in his voice hit Jason like a hammer.  
  
"To apologize for one," Jason told him. "To thank you for another," he said more softly.  
  
"What for?" Kyle asked.  
  
"For standing up for me and Billy," Jason told him.  
  
"I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done. . .," Kyle broke off and both boys realized that Jason had failed to do just that.  
  
"Tommy didn't mean anything by what he said," Jase told him. He knew Tommy well enough to know that what he'd said was meant in jest, it just got really serious before anybody realized it. "He was trying to tease you, and I guess it blew up in our faces. I guess it pointed out that maybe we have some prejudices ourselves."  
  
Kyle nodded and smiled weakly, "You can say that again." He got serious, "Do you really think I might believe that the color of a person's skin, or the shape of their eyes, or the texture of their hair makes a difference to me. Do you really think of me as some kind of half-educated country bumpkin who still thinks he's living in the nineteenth century?"  
  
Jase shook his head, "Of course not, Kyle. I think it's sort of like Tommy said, it's the accent. Like he said, it's not right, but it does have a certain imagery that goes with it."  
  
Kyle nodded, "When you hear a Spanish accent does that make you think the person might be an illegal immigrant? When you hear someone with an Asian accent do you think of them as being smarter than most people? What about when you hear Ebonics, does that make you think that person is a violent gang-banger?"  
  
Jason shook his head and thought about Kyle's question, "No, not really, I guess."  
  
"But it's okay to feel that way about a Southern or Appalachian accent?"  
  
"No it's not, Kyle." Jason shook his head, "And it took you to point that out to us. I guess in some ways we've let television and movies set our prejudices for us. Now we've got to rethink about some of the things we've always taken for granted."  
  
Kyle smiled and sat down, "At least you're thinking." He shook his head, "You know it's sort of funny. I went to Ms. Stone this morning with a problem that I really should have taken to Ms. Hayes, but I was more comfortable with her." He shook his head, "I guess that was my own prejudices coming through. She's a Southerner, and don't tell her this because she'd probably kick my ass, but in some ways she reminds me of my Grandma. You know, the Southern Matriarch who always looks out for her charges and rules the family with a velvet fist."  
  
"Nothing wrong with that," Jase told him. "There are some problems I take to my dad because I'm more comfortable talking to him and others I go to mom about. I guess we discuss problems with the people we feel the most comfortable." He shrugged, "Just be glad you've got someone to listen to you."  
  
Kyle laughed, "There is that. God only knows, I'd never have gone to my mom about anything."  
  
Jason watched his friend struggle with loss and pain. He wondered just how much Kyle had given up for being honest with himself and the world, and he wondered if it would cost him as much. "Im afraid there's more involved than just me though isn't there."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kyle protested too quickly.  
  
"Adam," was all Jason said.  
  
"Adam," Kyle repeated. "Yeah, I guess the idea that he would have thought that about me hurt too."  
  
"It wasn't conscious, Kyle. It wasn't he did- any of us did- it on purpose. I know it's no excuse, but now that we know the reaction is there, all we can do is promise to check it." Jason told him.  
  
"Jason, what do I have to do to prove that I'm not those things?" Kyle asked. It was obvious that the boy was reaching out his new friends in a way that Jase couldn't understand. He needed something, but Jason wasn't sure what it was, and didn't know how to give it to him, or even if he could.  
  
"Kyle, you don't have to prove anything to us. It's us that need to prove to you that we don't think ill of you." Jason shook his head. "It's our failing, not yours, and it's something WE have to overcome."  
  
"That's easy for you to say, Jason. You didn't just find out that the guy you would really like to get to know better thinks you might be a bigot, for no other reason than my accent is a couple centuries behind yours."  
  
"Huh?" Jason asked. "I'm sorry, but that went right over my head. The couple of centuries thing, that is."  
  
Kyle smiled at him, "The reason the Appalachian accent sounds the way it does, is because for almost four hundred years, the settlers in the area were extremely isolated." He laughed, "Did you know that because the area was so cut off from the rest of the country, that as late as the nineteen- seventies there were sections of Eastern Kentucky that were so isolated you could hear Elizabethan English spoken as it was in Elizabeth's day?"  
  
Jason shook his head, "Can't say that I did."  
  
Kyle continued, "Most of what we know of old Scottish, Irish, and English folksongs, culture, and language comes from the fact that those things got preserved in Appalachia, and were only recently re-discovered."  
  
Jason shook his head "You learn something new every day." He put a hand on the raven-haired boy's shoulder, "We're sorry, Kyle. I'm sorry."  
  
Kyle smiled over at him and said, "Thanks." He shook his head, "But I'll let you in on a secret."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"My GPA is three point nine, not exactly Billy's four-oh, but pretty darn close." Kyle told him.  
  
"Okay, so you're not Jethro Bodine," Jase told him.  
  
Kyle laughed, "Nope, a double naought spy I'm not."  
  
"Come on, let's head back and see what everyone else is up to," he put an arm around Kyle's shoulder.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
"So that's pretty much the whole story," Billy finished filling in Zack and the rest of the new Rangers about their adventures. Zack couldn't believe that Trini would give up like that, or that someone else could so easily slip in to fill her place. He had to admit that Kyle was pretty cool, and was definitely protective of his new friends, but he still felt just a little jolt at the idea of someone else wearing the Yellow. Of course, he also had to deal with the fact that Aisha was closer to the same Ranger that Trini was, than Kyle. She after all carried Trini's Power Coin.  
  
"So you guys don't need a Power Coin anymore?" Zack asked.  
  
Kimberly shook her head, "No. But we had to make some pretty intense deals to come back and get another shot at the Kregar."  
  
Zack thought about what Billy had said, and asked his old friend the original Blue Ranger, "What are the chances of you being able to read this Time Stream that the AI told you about?"  
  
Billy shrugged, "With enough time to study it, I think I might be able to get some details about it. Why?"  
  
"I was just wondering if you could get some information on this Covenant guy you were telling me about. Personally, I'd like to know what his stake in all this is."  
  
Bill sat back and seemed to consider what Zack was saying. "I think Kevin and I working together might be able to come up with something."  
  
"Kevin?" Zack asked.  
  
"Yes, the Command Center's alternate AI personality," Billy told him. "I'll get him to start working on it, and we'll see what we can find out."  
  
"Hey guys," Jason interrupted as he and Kyle approached.  
  
"Sorry for storming off like that," Kyle said apologetically.  
  
"No, we're sorry for making assumptions," Billy stood up and put a hand on Kyle's arm. "We found out some things about ourselves."  
  
"Billy's right Bro," Tommy stood. "I'm sorry for the racist comment. It was out of line, and WAY off base, man."  
  
"It's cool," Kyle said.  
  
Zack thought about everything he heard before finally answering, "No it's not." He shook his head, "When I first moved here, it took a while for me to realize that there are people in this town to whom prejudice is just another word in the dictionary. It took people like Jason, and Trini to teach me that, and now, I find that I may not be one of those folks." He offered Kyle his hand, "I'm sorry too."  
  
"I'm still not sure what all this all about," Katherine said, "but I'd appreciate it if you'd stick around for a while. I'd at least like to know why your accent is supposed to be something bad. It doesn't sound any stranger to me than everyone else's." She smiled.  
  
Kyle laughed, "It's a long story. Let's just say my accent is the American rural equivalent of a Cockney accent."  
  
"That bad?" Kat asked.  
  
Kyle smiled, "A little worse actually." Then he let it drop.  
  
"I'm sorry too, Kyle," Adam said stepping out from behind Zack.  
  
Kyle gave him a long look, and to Zack's surprise, "You, you're not so easily forgiven. I thought you knew me better than that." He smiled and, softly reached out and touched Adam's face, "But, we can talk about that later."  
  
***************************************************************** 


	10. Fight for your right to party

**************************************************************  
  
The Second Chances Saga: Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission.  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com  
  
  
  
Tommy pulled into the parking lot of the AGHS gym, looked over at Kim and forced himself not suddenly go all gushy and sigh. She was wearing a nice pink evening dress, cut low enough to be interesting while remaining within the boundaries of good taste- barely. The sight of her sent chills down his spine. They were the good kind of chills and made him realize just how badly he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She returned the smile and asked, "What?"  
  
He grinned at her, pulling at the tie that was too tight around his throat, and replied, "I was just thinking how beautiful, kind and sweet you are, and just how lucky I am to have you."  
  
She seemed to vibrate with pleasure at his words and he made a mental note to remember that, and to do something like it again. Engaging the emergency brake and removing the keys, he came around to the other side of the Jeep and helped her out. Getting out of the car she said, "You're sweet. And thank you."  
  
Taking her arm, he gently escorted through the doors, presenting their tickets to the chaperone. He almost did a double take when he realized it was Mr. Cranston. "Hello, Tommy," Billy's dad said and nodded toward Kim, "Kimberly."  
  
Kim grinned, "Hello Mr. Cranston. Are Billy and Jason here yet?"  
  
Mr. Cranston shook his head, "No, not yet. Jason's car is in being repaired, and Billy had to pick him up in the radbug." He grinned at Kimberly, "By the way, thank you for taking him shopping. I almost didn't recognize him when he came into the living room this evening. It's amazing how much difference a few small changes can make."  
  
"It was nothing, I just took him to get his haircut. The person you should really thank is Kyle. He's the one who helped him pick out the wardrobe."  
  
Tommy saw Ms. Stone approaching them with two cups of punch. She was wearing a long teal dress, all tied up in ribbons and bows, and she had her hair neatly waved and permed. He then realized that he was surprised to see the woman wearing anything other than her usual jeans, and a functional blouse, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.  
  
Mr. Cranston smiled and said, "I'll have to remember to do something nice for your new friend then."  
  
"Hello children," Ms. Stone greeted them. As she handed Mr. Cranston the punch she added, "Here you go, Edmund."  
  
Mr. Cranston actually smiled at her as he replied, "Thank you, Murphy."  
  
"Hello, Ms. Stone," he and Kim said in unison.  
  
"Good to see you could make it tonight," she gestured toward the back corner, "several of the others are already here."  
  
"Thank you, ma'am." Tommy told her as he led Kimberly toward the group of other Rangers.  
  
"Hey guys," Kimberly said cheerfully at his side as they got within speaking distance.  
  
Adam and Kyle both smiled up at them, "Hey Kimberly," they said in unison. Adam was wearing a black dinner jacket and waistcoat over a gray turtleneck and black slacks. Tommy noted with a smirk that Kyle was wearing a black tux jacket, a bolo tie, with a yellow waistcoat along with a pair of blue jeans and cowboy boots. On anybody else, the outfit would look ridiculous, but Kyle somehow managed to pull it off with style.  
  
"You two made up I take it?" Kimberly asked quietly.  
  
Kyle looked over at Adam and both boys blushed, "we're working on it," Adam said.  
  
"Yes'm we sho 'nuff are," Kyle said in his deepest Appalachian accent, "we're gettin' 'long like a couple houn'dawg pups wit' a new bone." He gave her a huge grin and everyone laughed at Kyle's attempt of making light of the things said a week ago.  
  
"You keep that up Bro and we'll never let you live it down," Tommy told him with a smile.  
  
"I'll keep that in mind Tom," he smiled and leaned back. Tommy wondered about his use of the shorter, more adult version of his name. "I was just taking this opportunity to get to know some of the other team members." He shook his head, "It's going to get really confusin' with two of every color on the team."  
  
"I've been considering that myself," Adam said. "I've noticed something about our incarnation of the team,"  
  
"What's that?" Tom asked.  
  
"We don't have to vocalize to summon our armor."  
  
Kimberly looked around to as if to insure that nobody was listening before she asked, "You mean no more holding the morpher to the sky and calling our 'zord?"  
  
Adam nodded, "When we fought StormQuest, I noticed that Billy didn't say a word, he just summoned his armor and went at them."  
  
"Well, at least that'll keep us from accidentally calling the wrong 'zord," Tommy replied. "But, it still doesn't solve the problem of how to tell us apart."  
  
"That's easy," Kyle said.  
  
"Oh?" Tommy asked.  
  
Kyle grinned widely, "We stitch all our names on the front of our uniforms."  
  
They all laughed and Tommy looked to where Kyle and Zack were high- fiving each other, and realized just how wrong all of them had been with their unconscious assessment of the new Yellow Ranger. He shook his head and gave Zack a hard look, "You've known him for less than two weeks and you've already corrupted him."  
  
"Hey," Zack protested, "the boy's got natural talent." They all laughed and Tommy realized that the addition of five new Rangers might work out well after all.  
  
"Oh my goodness," Kat said holding her hand to her mouth.  
  
Turning in the direction of where she was looking, Tommy saw his best friend calmly walking onto the dance floor with Billy in tow as a slow dance was just starting to play. Jase was wearing a black suit with a blue string tie and crimson waistcoat, while Billy had on an identical suit except his waistcoat was cobalt blue. The gym suddenly fell silent, as the two boys began to dance close to each other, leaving no question as to the affection they felt for each other. As he was pulled onto the floor by Kimberly, he silently wondered about who was leading.  
  
The part of his mind that was the Green Ranger automatically noticed several of the line backers on the school football team seemed to be talking in whispered tones with each other in one corner. Half way through the song, Adam and Kyle quietly strode onto the dance floor hand in hand. In just a matter of seconds, the rest of both teams joined them: Kat and Rocky, Zack and Aisha, and Tanya was dragging some poor guy she'd seen sitting quietly in the corner with her. He smiled to himself at the girl's audacity. She wanted to dance, so she didn't wait until she was asked. She just grabbed a partner and headed toward the floor.  
  
"I think Mr. Kaplan is about to flip his wig," Kimberly said in his ear. "Nobody thought to warn him about Jase and Billy."  
  
"Well, if you see Jason before I do, tell him not to let Billy go anywhere by himself," Tommy told him. "Carty and his bunch don't look too happy about what they're seeing, and although they're bright enough not to try and take on Jase, they'd be more than willing to jump Billy."  
  
He felt Kimberly nod against his shoulder. He knew that she had no illusions about what Jase, Billy, Adam, and Kyle just did. It would change their status at school a great deal. It helped that Jason was well known as a black belt, but Billy didn't have that kind of reputation. Kimberly pulled back from him, "I think Ms. Stone had a talk with them about this."  
  
"What did she tell them?" Tommy asked.  
  
"That, they should be honest, but careful too. This may be California, but there are still plenty of people out there who might not like the idea of two guys dancing together at a high school gathering." Kimberly told him.  
  
"What do you think Kaplan will do?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Nothing if he's smart." Kimberly held him tighter, "Ms. Stone told me that if he tries to ban them from attending these functions that Billy and Jase can take him to court and lately the law suits have been expensive for that kind of thing."  
  
The dance was over too soon for Tommy's taste. He liked being able hold Kim close and dance with her, not that he'd ever tell her that. Joining the rest of the team back in the corner, he pulled Jason aside, "Bro, what ever you do, don't let Billy go off by himself." He indicated where the football players were leaving, "Carty and his buddies don't seem too impressed by your choice of dance partners tonight."  
  
"They really don't want to go there," there was something dark in Jason's voice. Looking down to where the Red Ranger was holding his cup, he saw that Jason's knuckles were skinned.  
  
"Something already happen tonight?" Tommy asked warily nodding down to his friend's hand.  
  
Jason looked down and smiled, "Only if you count busting my hand on the engine block of Billy's radbug." He grinned widely, "Luckily Dad took pity on us. He let me drive the Dodge."  
  
Tommy whistled, "You've got your Dad's Viper? Man, he babies that thing like there's no tomorrow. How'd you swing that?"  
  
Jason grinned, "Honestly? I think it's because it doesn't have a back seat." Both boys laughed at the implications of that.  
  
"How're things going with you and Billy?" Tommy asked carefully.  
  
Jason smiled hugely, and Tommy realized just how happy his friend had become since he and Billy had started dating. It was almost as if something was in place that had always been missing but nobody knew it. "Great. It's funny, I've always known that I loved Billy, it just took being hit upside the head with a 'zord to get me to realize what kind of love it is."  
  
"Scott," Coach Martin's voice came from behind them. Tommy and Jason turned to see the man standing with his arms crossed. "I'd like a word with you."  
  
Jason shrugged and put down his cup and said, "Right away Coach." Looking over at Tommy, he said, "I'll be right back." Then, he walked over to where the larger man was waiting.  
  
Tommy couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell it was intense. After several exchanges between them, Tommy noticed Jason's fists starting to clench and unclench. Finally, Jason stomped off toward the door saying loud enough for half the gym to hear, "Fine, if that's the way they want it then they can find a new quarterback."  
  
Tommy and Billy headed out after him. Clearing the door, Tommy felt someone grab him from the side and sling him against the wall. Before he knew what was happening, he felt an explosion of pain in his ribs as a fist slammed him harder against the wall. Looking up, he saw that two of Carty's friend's were trying to hold him against the wall, while one of the larger defensive guards was preparing to punch him again- this time in the face.  
  
Reflexively, he twisted his head to the side, and felt the wind of the punch as defensive guard's fist slammed into the concrete wall behind him. Bracing himself against the boys who were holding him, he snapped kicked the guy in the groin, followed by a round-house kick to the ribs. Before anyone else could react, he kicked his feet out and came back with a double back-kick to the knees of his captors.  
  
Feeling himself released, he grabbed each of the boys holding their knees by the collar and rammed their heads into the wall. Turning back around, he saw the defensive guard saying hello to his dinner for the second time tonight. Looking around he saw Billy standing over the writhing forms of two offensive guards. Both boys were holding their knees in pain, and Billy was looking to where Jason, was standing back to back with of all people Bulk and Skull, as what was left of the offensive and defensive lines were surrounding them. "So much for Carty being smart," Tommy said.  
  
He watched in amazement as Billy charged toward his lover screaming like a banshee. Feeling somewhat chagrined by his timid friend's reaction, he joined him half a beat later. The fight was short and brutal, and Tommy could swear that Billy was drawing on the Power to fight. He sure the hell was more like his Blue Ranger self than the young genius. More frightening was the fierce look of protectiveness in his eyes, as he dropped one of the bigger guys with a vicious series of kidney punches. The guy was about to bean Jason from behind.  
  
"I think that's quite enough of that," Ms. Stone's voice cut through the night. Tommy smiled to himself realizing that she was right. Nobody was left standing.  
  
"I thought I might better check on what was going on out here when you didn't come back in." She smiled up at the cameras mounted to the outside wall, "I think we've enough lighting out here to clear you of any charges."  
  
Jason turned and offered a hand Bulk, "Thanks man. I appreciate the assist."  
  
Bulk just smiled and looked at the hand but didn't take it. "Like I said, congratulations. But I still think you're a bunch of geeks." Then he took the hand.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
"I understand that you didn't start the fight, and were only defending yourself, but you do have a responsibility to avoid situations where you might find yourself involved in a fight," Mr. Kaplan told them. Leaning back, he looked at Jason, and Billy before continuing, "You two are going to have to realize that if you are going to be out of the closet, you'll have to expect this kind of thing.'  
  
"No sir," Kyle interjected with a hardness in his voice that cut through Jase like a knife.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Kerry?" Mr. Kaplan was surprised that one of his students was willing to disagree with him.  
  
"No sir, we don't have to expect this kind of thing. We have to, and DO expect to be safe at school. We have the same rights as any other students, it's part of YOUR job to make sure we are safe." He looked back at Billy, Jase, and Adam, "Billy, Jason, and Adam don't deserve to go through being beaten, and kicked just because they're gay." Jason noted that their new friend didn't include himself in that list.  
  
Jason had never seen anyone stand up to Mr. Kaplan quite that way. It was against his nature to challenge someone in charge, and he knew that the others felt pretty much the same way. Kyle evidently was just a little different. He wasn't being disrespectful, just forceful. "I think Kyle has a point, Mr. Kaplan." Jason told the Principal. "None of us deserve to be attacked, and although we don't want to fight, we WILL defend ourselves."  
  
"And each other," Billy said quietly.  
  
Mr. Kaplan leaned across his desk, "You're right, you don't deserve to be attacked, and if I find out about it, I'll take all the steps the board will allow me to, but understand this. You three," he pointed to Jason, Billy, and Tommy, "are on probation. Any more fighting and I'll be forced to suspend you." He looked over at Kyle, "As for you, this is your first week here so I'm willing to cut you some slack. I don't know how things were done at your old school, but here we show a little more respect for the administration of the school."  
  
Kyle smiled, "Yes sir. No disrespect was intended."  
  
Mr. Kaplan, "Then don't try to tell me how to do my job."  
  
"Now all of you, get out of here," the man told them. 


	11. Queen's Gambit

Kimberly finished her post-routine stretching and reached for her towel and water only to find them handed to her. Looking up, she saw a tall woman dressed jeans and a blouse smiling at her. The stranger had coal black hair, dark eyes, and an olive complexion. Kim was supposed to be alone in the gym now. Originally she was to meet Kyle this evening for some pointers on a couple of tumbling routines they were trying to develop, but the Yellow Ranger had cancelled saying he'd try to make it but not to expect him. "Thank you," she said cautiously.  
  
"You are very good," the woman said with a slight European accent.  
  
"Thank you," she smiled, "again."  
  
"You are Kimberly Hart?" it was as much a statement as a question. The woman had an air of power and command about her and Kimberly got the impression she was not accustomed to having to ask anything.  
  
Kim nodded and stood before saying, "Yes, I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."  
  
The woman smiled, "Yes."  
  
Kimberly glanced around wondering how the woman got into the gym, and realizing that she was all alone with her. Finally turning back, she asked again, "And you are?"  
  
The woman smiled and answered, "Lyta Michaels, I would like to talk to you Kimberly. I have an offer that we would both find beneficial."  
  
Kimberly asked warily, "what kind of offer?" She had a bad feeling about this. When the woman looked at her, she felt like rabbit under the gaze of a hawk.  
  
Smiling she said, "Why don't we sit down over here," she gestured toward a series of low benches at the edge of practice mats.  
  
Kimberly nodded and warily followed the woman to the benches. Some dry part of her mind kept telling her that she should be wary, while the logical part told her that she was being silly. Besides, she was a Power Ranger. There was little that she couldn't handle on her own, and if she did encounter trouble, the boys were just a quick call away. "What kind of offer?" she asked. "Are you from one of the gymnastic scouts?"  
  
The woman smiled as she sat and said, "Actually it has more to do with your other team, Ms. Hart." Leaning back against the bench she continued, "I am here on behalf of a party that does not appreciate a certain upstart Time Lord interfering in your world."  
  
Kimberly remembered Ms. Stone telling her that Ms. Hayes was something of a rogue Time Lord, one the others felt didn't play by their rules. Personally, she was glad the woman didn't, she and her friends wouldn't be alive today if she did. However, she wasn't about to give this woman the satisfaction of knowing that. Besides, if she played along she might be able to gain some more information. "Go on," she told the woman neutrally.  
  
"This world will eventually fall the Kregar. So far, very few worlds have been able to resist the forces of the Council of the Umbra. Hayes' world is an anomaly, one where there are just the right amount of stubborn women and men who try to shove their brand of morality down the throats of the population. Covenant was a mistake on the Council's part in choosing the wrong assassin, and target, but for the most part, worlds fall the Kregar very easily. You really don't stand a chance against them, no matter what successes you've had so far."  
  
Kimberly felt her hackles rise. How dare this woman suggest that they shouldn't even try to defend the Earth? However, that logical part of her mind kept telling her that this kind of thing Jason, Tommy, and Stone would want to know about. With an almost super-human effort, she forced her reaction down and feigned interest. "If that's the case, what kind of offer are you making me?" She raised an eyebrow.  
  
The woman leaned back and seemed to consider something. Finally she asked, "No protests of giving it a try anyway- fighting the good fight no matter what?"  
  
Kimberly shrugged, "A few years ago, maybe, but not anymore. I'm older, a little wiser, and don't see the world through quite the same rose- colored glasses. I died once. I'd really like to avoid that again."  
  
The woman smiled, "You might do after all Ms. Hart."  
  
"What's your offer?" Kimberly asked.  
  
"Convince your friends to join the Kregar instead of fighting them. I have it on good authority that if you do that, then they will limit their attacks to military targets and spare the general population," the woman told her. She leaned forward and her voice took an inspirational tone, "For once, take your destiny into your own hands. You be the one to lead the Rangers and this world into a new era of peace and prosperity." She leaned back and smiled, "Life in the Empire is actually rather pleasant. There would be no more insane monsters attacking the populace. There would be access to advance medical technology, and much more. You could end poverty on this world, make sure everyone had enough to eat, see to it that social change would occur that would bring an era of prosperity to the whole world. " She chuckled, "You would go far in the Empire, Kimberly. You're strong, talented, more intelligent than others would give you credit for, and you are a wielder of the Power. You would probably one day even make it to the Imperial Council."  
  
"And my teammates?" Kimberly asked. "What about them?"  
  
The woman leaned back, "What about them? You could make the one called Tommy your consort, ensure his fidelity by binding him to yourself." She shrugged, "A place could be found for the others, or at least most of them." She shook her head, "I won't lie to you, Kimberly. Their options are somewhat more limited. There are really few places in the Empire for a man who wields the Power."  
  
Kimberly threw on her best mall rat persona, "Tommy as my consort huh?" She smiled to herself, "That could have interesting possibilities."  
  
"Don't limit yourself to a single male, Kimberly. As one of the rank you would no doubt receive for your loyal service, you could have your pick of men throughout the galaxy," she told her.  
  
"There is that of course," Kimberly borrowed one of Billy's favorite phrased. She turned and looked at the woman, "Tell you what, give me twenty-four hours to think about it and I'll give you my answer then."  
  
The woman thought about her request and smiled, "Okay. I'll relay your message to the Kregar." Rising from the bench, she headed across the floor at a brisk walk as she literally faded from view, leaving Kimberly with a bad feeling about the whole encounter.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
"She offered you what?!" Tommy asked jumping up to sit on the low wall surrounding the now infamous ornamental pond in Jason's backyard. Billy thought he detected a certain amount of outrage in the Green Ranger's voice.  
  
They were discussing what Kimberly had told them about her meeting with the mysterious Lyta Michaels. Kimberly gave him a vapid look, "She offered me my pick of men throughout the galaxy if I'd convince you guys to not fight the Kregar." Billy watched her smile mischievously at Tommy, "You know that's a rather tempting thought. Let's see, there's Leonardo DiCaprio, Nick Carter. . . hmmm, I could have several. . . ,"  
  
"Kimberly!" Tommy protested, and everybody laughed at the Green Ranger's discomfort. He looked around, "You wouldn't?" In a brief flash of insight, Billy suddenly understood that in some ways Tommy was even more insecure about Kim than he was about Jase. He deduced that it was probably left over from his days before he became the Green Ranger.  
  
Billy knew that Tommy had been shuffled around among different foster homes before he finally settled with the Oliver's three years ago. It took the formerly troubled teen a long time realize that they weren't going to give up on him or abandon him like his biological family did, like all those other foster families did. The idea of Kimberly even considering such an offer must have been Tommy' worst nightmare. Coming to his friend's defense Billy said, "I believe she's engaging in a bit of feminine subterfuge in an attempt to good naturedly, put you ill at ease, Tom."  
  
"Huh?" the long-haired boy asked.  
  
"He said that she's teasing you, Bro," Jason told him.  
  
"Why didn't you just say so then?" Tommy asked with a smile that let Billy know he knew exactly what the Blue Ranger was doing.  
  
"I did," Billy gave him an innocent look.  
  
"Anyway, what are we going to do about this woman who's offering Kimberly the world if she convinces us to roll over and not do our job?" Jason asked.  
  
"I don't like this guys," Adam told them. "I mean, there's something about this whole set up that's setting off all kinds of alarms in my head. There's something important we're missing." He leaned back, and closed his eyes. Billy new the Black Ranger well enough to know that he was trying make sense of something that he felt should be obvious.  
  
"Personally I've no desire to be anybody's bed warmer," Jason remarked to nobody in particular.  
  
"Really?" Kim asked raising an eyebrow as she looked over at Billy. He felt the heat rise in his face. He was still more than just a little uncomfortable about what happened with the teleporter. He and Jase had yet to share much more than holding hands or a kiss since Alpha had managed to expose a lot more of them to their friends than he felt comfortable with.  
  
Suddenly, Kyle snapped his fingers, "I've got it! Kim, why come after you?"  
  
"Duh?" she asked and pulled at the front of her bloused, "The Kregar ARE a matriarchy. I'm the only female here."  
  
Kyle smiled, "But the Kregar are also a star-faring race that has to have encountered more male dominated worlds than female. I think there's more to it than that." He began to pace back and forth, as if to force an idea to coalesce in his mind. He looked over at Jase, "You're team leader, why not come to you? Take you out, and although we're not quite beaten, we're just severely crippled." He smiled over at Tommy, "After all, we've got a spare leader standing in the wings ready to take over."  
  
Tommy smirked at him, as if to make it clear he understood what the raven-haired boy meant without taking offence. "I still think it's because she the female on the team."  
  
Kyle shook his head, "No think about it. You and Jase are our leaders. You'd never give up. You're hard wired to fight to the bitter- end. To take you guys out, all they'd have to do is throw several armies at you until somebody got lucky. You're our King and Rook." He gestured over at Adam and then himself, "As for us two, we're the knights. We're the good little soldiers who're always there to back up the rest of you guys and occasionally pull an unexpected save out of the situation." He pointed to Kimberly and Billy, "But these two are our real power pieces, our Queen and Bishop."  
  
Jason smiled at Billy, "I thought you said you had no plans for the priesthood?" He reminded Billy of their discussion in his living room about the Three Musketeers.  
  
Ignoring the remark, he turned to Kyle, "I don't quite follow your logic," Billy told him. The analogy didn't quite fit.  
  
Kyle ran a hand through his hair, and looked up at the sky, trying to find words for what he was saying. He sighed and then looked around him, "Jase and Tommy are our warriors, our chew-bubblegum-and-kick-ass-take- names-later squad. Adam and I are the second line of defense. We keep the extras off their backs while they plow through the enemy." He stopped and looked at Billy and Kimberly, "But you two. You're the heart and soul of the team." He spun on Kimberly, "If somebody on the team is upset, who do they usually come to for help getting their emotions sorted out?"  
  
She shrugged and said, "Well, I guess I do tend to do a lot of listening."  
  
"Exactly," he said. "You're our sounding board, our rudder. You're what binds us all together." He turned and faced Billy, "And you, you're the one who always pulls the neat device out of his hat to save the day. You figure out how to kill the big baddie of the day, and then let one of the rest of us loose on them."  
  
"I still don't understand why that would make them go after Kimberly," Tommy protested.  
  
"Because who do we go to for advice? Who can influence us more subtly and yet more effectively than anybody else?" He pointed to the Pink Ranger, "Kimberly." He walked over to Tommy, "Tell me you wouldn't cut off your right arm if she asked you to." He let his gaze pass over each of them, "All of us would. We trust her more than ourselves."  
  
As Kyle's gaze swept over to him, Billy knew the Yellow Ranger was right. If Kimberly told him something was the right thing to do, he realized that he very well might find himself doing it before he even thought about it. "As for you," he pointed to Billy this time. "If you told us that something was the logical way to do something, then we'd all pretty much let you have your way on it."  
  
He stopped and looked at the sky, "I'm not saying this very well." Dropping his gaze he turned and looked at them, his hands out in supplication. "Think of the six of us as a living being. Jason is our heart, Tommy the body, Adam and I are the arms and legs, but Billy and Kim are our Mind and Soul. The quickest way to defeat something is to attack its mind or its soul."  
  
"For someone who can't quite find the words for something, you seem to have found quite a few analogies," Billy chided his new friend.  
  
Kyle shrugged, "I want to be writer someday."  
  
"I'm not sure I believe it, but it is at least a working theory," Billy told him.  
  
Tommy jumped down from the wall, "But it does make a certain amount of sense." He looked over at Jason and smiled, "You and I would charge the Gates of Hell, if we thought it was the right thing to do. We see a problem we want to fix it right away. Action is our middle names." He grinned over at where Kyle had settled back against Adam's chest, "These two aren't much better. They stop and reconsider the situation a little more than we do, but not much." He winked at Kyle, "Remember Farmboy and his stunt with his deflector shields." Billy knew that Tommy was trying to make Kyle understand that it was all right to make mistakes, as long as he learned from them, and we all got the right to tease him about them. "But Kim and Billy are different. They're endurance fighters. They keep plugging away long after the rest of us are ready to give up. They never give up hope. Subvert that quality and we're beaten before we ever start."  
  
"So what do we do about this woman?" Adam asked.  
  
"I'm not sure." Tommy said, "Maybe we should ask Ms. Hayes." He smiled, "After all it was her that Michaels called an Upstart Time Lord.'  
  
************************************************************ 


	12. Discussions and downtime

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
  
I'm sorry this is so late coming, but I've been really busy with a story that might actually pay, and getting ready for Thanksgiving. I appreciate any feedback, and will respond to it. (I only recently realized that it was expected, being new to the whole concept of fan fiction) Also, I've had this wickedly wonderful idea for a new PR story thanks to some of that feedback, so be looking for a new story with a completely different, and as far as I know, unheard of romantic pairing coming soon.  
  
Like I said, this is based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER. The last half of this chapter is a very superficial rewrite of a scene from that story. I put it in here to help tie it to that story. If you want to read an excellent story, I suggest you get it and read it. It's more than worth it, and if you email me, I'll be glad to send you the link for it.  
  
Happy Thanksgiving all.  
  
Danny *****************************************************************  
  
"Upstart Time Lord?" Ms. Hayes smirked. "I kind of like that."  
  
"You like being called an upstart?" Jason asked.  
  
The woman smiled at him, "Well, it's fairly accurate. I'm the youngest Time Lord, being only six hundred- or twelve hundred depending on when I am at a particular time- and I have been something of a rebel among the Time Lords. Besides, look at it this way, I've managed to irritate the Kregar to the point that they're calling me names. I take that as a good sign."  
  
Jason shook his head. This woman was confusing the hell out of him. He wasn't used to this concept of different aspects of her personality being in control at different times depending on when she was exploring in the time stream. Ms. Stone had tried to explain to him that although her body continues through space, Ms. Hayes' mind can and does jump back and forth to different periods in her life. So far, the oldest version of her mind they'd encountered was around twelve hundred years old. "If you say so, Ms. Hayes, I'm just not really happy with this whole concept of them targeting Kim or Billy."  
  
The woman gently reached out and touched his face, "You want them to bring the battle to you, huh?" The light in her pale blue eyes was soft and understanding, and Jason wondered how a woman who appeared so young could project such a mothering aura. She smiled and said, "There are many kinds of combat, Jason. Some of them are on the physical plane," she indicated him and Tommy, "others on a mental field of battle," she nodded to Billy. Walking around him, she put a hand out on Kimberly's shoulder, "Still others are fought in a spiritual realm. A good leader learns to let his people do what they're good at."  
  
"More battlefield wisdom from your father?" Ms. Stone asked.  
  
Ms. Hayes smiled, "It's from Dad, but this was more of boardroom wisdom. Although, it does apply to the battlefield as well." Turning back to Jason she continued, "But you are more worried about your ability to protect them."  
  
"Jason's not the only one," Tommy told the woman.  
  
She smiled over at the Green Ranger, "I know, Thomas, but, you're a little more of a loner than Jason. You tend to let people see if they can find their own way before trying to fix a problem. He's got a strong caretaker instinct that sometimes gets in his way, and won't let him do that."  
  
"Hey! I'm still here!" Jason protested.  
  
"I know you are, dear," Ms. Hayes smiled over at him. "I'm just being honest, and sometimes it's a good thing to hear how people really see you." Clapping her hands and sitting down in the chair, she seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Jason used the quiet lull in the conversation to reacquaint himself with the Power Chamber. He'd actually been avoiding this particular room since the Command Center had been rebuilt. It brought back too many memories of their mentor Zordon, and reminded him how he missed the Eltarian.  
  
"So what should Kimberly do when the lady comes back?" Tommy asked.  
  
Ms. Hayes smiled and mumbled under her breath, "That was no lady. That was a Kregar Imperial Officer." She looked up at them, and the seriousness in her eyes frightened Jason, "My first instinct is to tell you to kill her." Shaking her head and cutting off any protest, she continued, "But as Billy told Temblor; You're Power Rangers, and Power Rangers don't kill."  
  
"That situation changed as of their last attack," Billy reminded her- reminded them all of what they'd been forced to do to save Angel Grove in the Kregar last attack. That was something Jason was still getting used to, the idea that he'd actually taken human life in that fight. It was one thing to kill one of Rita and Zedd's monsters, but these were real people, not some plant brought to life to make Kim jealous.  
  
Ms. Hayes nodded her head and said, "I know Billy. But killing in battle is completely different from planning and executing a murder in a non-combat situation."  
  
"It's all well and good that Power Rangers don't kill, but this is the kind of opponent who that if you don't kill them, they just come back stronger," Ms. Stone interjected. She really had a hate on for the Kregar.  
  
Jason turned to face the tall woman. Today she'd returned to her usual jeans and blouse, her hair once again pulled back into a ponytail. "Still, I don't want to kill somebody if I don't have to."  
  
Ms. Stone leaned back against the console, "What if I told you that in the next fight, they are most probably going to concentrate their attacks on Kimberly and Billy? Oh, they'll send enough after you guys to keep you busy, but they're going to do their best to draw those two out and then hit them with overwhelming force."  
  
"But why?" Jason could hear the worry in Tommy's voice. "Why take out them?"  
  
"Because they're the lynchpin for taking this world," she said as she looked around at all of them, "You six are this world's symbols. Michael operates on level of symbols, being one himself. That's why he couldn't take my world, because our symbols were too strong. That's why he'll go after Kim and Billy. It would cripple this team, and destroy its value as symbols."  
  
Jason heard something in Billy's voice that worried him, "Because we're the weak links?" He looked around and said what Jase knew was on everybody's mind, "Because our fighting skills aren't up to par with the others."  
  
"Sorry, you don't get to go there, Bro." Kyle interjected. "If anybody is the weak link in fighting it's me. You and Kim both have a couple years experience on me."  
  
"Yes and no, Billy," Ms. Stone said quietly. "You are not the same kind of warriors that Jase and the others are. You fight in an arena that the Kregar don't and can't understand. You are the spirit that binds them together, and mind that directs them." She smiled sadly and continued, "Should the Kregar succeed in getting a toehold on this world, then, it's your knowledge, and skill that could equip an army capable of driving them back. Before you became a Ranger, your scientific knowledge alone was greater than the combined brainpower of every other scientist on the planet. Your access to Eltarian technology has increased that gap geometrically. If you don't believe me, look at this base." She gestured around the Power Chamber and smiled, this time there was no sadness in it, but a fierce pride in the accomplishments of someone about whom she cared. "All this technology comes from various Billy's throughout the multi-verse. Some of them were a Power Rangers who died; others were simply quiet heroes, working on the side until the Kregar came. This is YOUR technology Billy, and that scares Kregar more than a hundred thousand Power Rangers."  
  
Jason watched as his lover turned a deep crimson. He felt a deep sense of pride for Bill himself, so he finally told him, "You told us yourself yourself, Bill, the technology here just makes sense. Now you know why."  
  
"But what about me?" Kimberly asked. "I'm no brain. I'm just a mall rat that happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right group of friends.  
  
"Ever wonder why these particular friends, Kimberly?" Ms. Hayes asked.  
  
Jason watched Kim shrug. He could see the petit brunette's mind turning over the question carefully before she answered, "No, not really. We've all been together since grade school." Looking over at Tommy she smiled, "Well most of us at least. We just seemed to click."  
  
Ms. Hayes stepped back and smiled, "Really? How many other groups of friends do you know that are so well rounded. You had the Jock, the Brain, the Cheerleader, the Happy-Go-Lucky Dancer, and the Serious Student. You didn't have a whole lot in common there." She chuckled, and continued, "I know how cruel kids can be. How many of your cheerleading friends in middle school would have given Billy the time of day?"  
  
Jason thought about what she was saying. Their friendships had always just seemed right, even if their being together didn't make a hell of a lot of sense. He realized that the social forces at school should have pulled them all apart into separate groups by the time they'd finished middle school. He should have been hangin' with jocks, maybe with Kim on his arm because she was after all a cheerleader. Billy should have been with nerds, never to cross his path except to get beaten up- not a thought he liked to even consider- maybe with Trini as at least an acquaintance. Zack, with his effervescent personality would have fit with Kim and Jase's group well, but not Billy's or Trini's. However, for some reason they'd all stayed together in spite of everything. He knew that Kimberly had lost several of her friends in seventh grade over being friends with Billy- he just wasn't cool enough for them. He himself had caught grief over being friends with both Zack and Trini, but only once or twice. A few busted teeth later, anybody who had anything disparaging to say about their heritage learned not to say it around Jase. "What about Tommy, Adam and Kyle then?" he asked.  
  
Ms. Hayes smiled and looked at Tommy and Adam, "Some friend come to you later in life than others." She gave Kyle a strange look, "Sometimes, events conspire to introduce a wild card into the mix as well- a random element that can bring about positive change in all that are involved." Jason wondered if she meant Kyle's tendencies to be willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. She continued, "What it comes down to is that the Master put forces into nature that are meant to inspire us. You are that force."  
  
"What's that got to do with me?" Kimberly asked, and reminded Jason of the original question.  
  
"It's simple Kimberly. You're the glue that holds everything together. You're their conscious, their anchor." Ms. Hayes smiled, "You're surrounded by enough testosterone to send Gloria Steinem into apoplectic seizures, and you sail through it without ever losing your sense of self. You are the sister, the mother," she turned and looked at Tommy, "the wife figure. You're their anchor to reality." She sighed and stood up. "Take you out, and they'll all go off balance," she smiled and looked over at Billy, "Even calm Billy would find himself drifting."  
  
Jason watched Kimberly preen under the high and very justified praise. "But that still doesn't answer what to do about Ms. Michael's offer."  
  
Ms. Hayes looked at him and asked, "Do you want to surrender?"  
  
Jason snorted, "No ma'am."  
  
Ms. Stone smiled and said as she strode over and put a hand on his shoulder, "Good, because you wouldn't want to pay the cost for that." She looked meaningfully over at Billy. Turning back, she smiled and continued, "Tell her no, and then kick her butt into next week sideways."  
  
"You mean escalate the fight?" Tommy asked.  
  
Ms. Stone smiled, "Trust me, you won't have to escalate the fight. As soon as Kimberly turns her down, the Kregar is going to do her level best to kill her. So, I suggest the rest of you be there when she tells her what you think of her offer."  
  
"Don't worry, we will." There was hardness in Tommy's voice with which Jason found himself agreeing.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Jason sat and watched Bill read. He was reading for pleasure, no hilighter or notes, just reading, flipping the pages quickly and smiling every now and then. He was sitting at the Cranston kitchen table, his cup of coffee sitting half forgotten at his elbow. Once, he actually laughed out loud. Jase wondered what the book was; He might buy it. Jason put his hand on Billy's where it lay on the table next to his coffee, and then slid it up his bare arm to his elbow.  
  
"Can I finish my chapter?" Billy asked, an undercurrent of amusement in his voice. The sound sent shivers down Jase's spine. He was worried about what Ms. Hayes had said. He found himself needing Billy, needing to touch him, to assure himself that the Blue Ranger was there. That he would always be there.  
  
"I don't know. Can you?" Jason said, grinning. Jason couldn't believe how fast things had changed between the two since he allowed himself to admit what he felt for Billy.  
  
"Is that a challenge?" Billy asked with a smile. Jason knew the blond could focus his mind on carrying out half a dozen different things, and never miss a beat. But, what Jase had in mind was just a little out of Billy's realm of experience. Looking around he wondered if there was any chocolate sauce in the house. "You'd lose," Billy said, not looking away from the page, and not expecting what Jason had in mind.  
  
"Really? How many pages?" He reached down and flipped through the book. "Six. Hmmm..." Billy could polish off six pages in less than three minutes, but right now three minutes seemed like a lifetime.  
  
"I have excellent powers of concentration," Billy said, a smile tugging his lips.  
  
"Well, that's true," Jason conceded. "Whatever you focus on is definitely focused on. Might be fun to try and distract you, though."  
  
Billy turned the page and said, calmly, "It might, if futile."  
  
"Cranston," Jason said in frustration, "you drive me insane."  
  
"I don't believe that's a drive," Billy said. "I think it's a putt-"  
  
"Stop with the damned book already," Jason said. "You know we have to face that Kregar commander tomorrow. It may be a long time before we get any time alone. You're dad's gone, my parent's don't expect me home for several hours and you'll have plenty of time later to read this thing-" he picked it up stuck his finger in it to hold Billy's place. "-Hogfather? What the hell?"  
  
"Terry Pratchett," said Billy. "Social commentary disguised as extremely funny fantasy. Brilliant. My favorite fiction writer... give me that." He took it back and slid the bookmark that had been on the table into it and put it carefully down. "It's best not to put any serious strains on your mental faculties in situations like this, I believe." He leaned back in his chair and looked up at Jason. The look in those eyes, the way Billy's hair caught the afternoon sunlight, the way his pulse gently throbbed at the little dip below his Adam's apple, conspired to send a hard lump into Jason's throat.  
  
"What," Billy asked, "did you have in mind to do for the afternoon?"  
  
Jason leaned over and, putting his hand on the chair back to take his weight, and kissed Billy. Billy eased up out of the chair, moving sideways to stand between this Jason's legs, one of his hands in the short black hair and the other reaching around him to pull him close. Jason felt his heart race as he detected the slight taste of coffee in Billy's mouth. Jason decided that he could learn to love that taste. Jason's hands slid under Billy's polo shirt, then tugged it over the blond head to drop it on the floor. A few minutes later Billy was stepped back, pulling on Jason's hand and saying, "Bedroom."  
  
"Bedroom, yes," Jason replied feeling his heart pound through out his body. He let Billy lead him from the kitchen, kissing him again.  
  
An hour later, the bedroom was quiet. If Jason survived being a Ranger, lived to be a hundred, he'd never forget what it felt like- so beautiful, so... so right. Blankets around them, Billy's head on his chest, resting on his heart, in his heart. Jason's arms around him, Billy's around Jason, Billy sleeping in safety, in love. It was at that moment Jason felt his life, his heart finally complete. 


	13. Casualties

Author's note: I'm sorry this is taking so long to get out. I've been really busy with real life lately, plus I got a new toy I've been playing with. (I bought myself a new airbrush as an early birthday present to myself, and have finished four paintings in the past couple of days.) Thanks again for all the wonderful feed back from folks. ***************************************************************** Billy felt the 'zord rock under him from the onslaught of fire. Ms. Hayes hadn't been kidding when she said that the Kregar wouldn't take Kim turning them down easily. Almost to the second after Kimberly's answer passed her lips, the attack had begun. Fortunately, tactics was Jason's strong suit, so they were prepared- at least as prepared as anyone could be for the ferocity of that kind of attack. Two dozen Kregar warriors had appeared out of nowhere- Billy assumed that they'd teleported in- and went directly on the offensive. Billy found himself hard pressed to keep them off him, much less go to poor Kim's aid. The situation completely deteriorated into chaos when the Kregar suddenly dropped in another two dozen assault walkers onto their position. This time, they were deadly serious.  
  
Now Billy found himself cut off from the rest of his team, his radio scrambled, strange energy readings coming from his sensors- he wasn't sure, but he thought the Kregar were trying to interfere with the 'zords' ability to draw on the Power- and in the fight of his life. Leaping behind another walker to avoid a blast from the command walker that was leading the group of six attacking his wolf-zord, he turned and fired a particle cannon point- blank into the 'shield walker's' back. It wasn't exactly Marquis of Queensbury rules, but as Ms. Stone was so fond of pointing out, this was war.  
  
He watched with some amusement as the energy punched clean through the 'shield walker' and clipped the attacking command module in the knee of its right leg. He didn't have much time to enjoy his small victory as the other five suddenly launched a concentrated barrage of missiles at his 'zord. It was then, he realized that the Kregar commander had sacrificed the walker he'd dodged behind in order to set him up for the kill.  
  
Desperately, he fought to shift energy from the weapons to the shields, as he watched the missiles close. He knew he wasn't going to make it when the first missile hit the wolf zord square in the flank, sending it spinning to face the next barrage face on. The last thing he remembered thinking before the darkness took him was that he'd at least spent last night with Jason.  
  
  
  
Kyle rolled the raccoon zord into a neat ball and sent it flying into the group of six walkers tracking the crane-zord with their plasma cannons. At the last minute he pulled all the energy out of the zord's weapons systems and augmented his shields- he did NOT want another lecture from Jason and Tommy about trying to get himself killed- and shifted to the 'zord's secondary form. In mid-flight the raccoon became a great golden eagle, wings spread and talons out for a strike, as he slammed through the Kregar like ten pins. "Yip, yip, yip, Yeeehah!," he screamed into the radio, knowing that he was going to get kidded for the 'Rebel Yell' later, "Just like shooting wamprats in my T-17 back home in Beggar's Canyon!" he added quickly. Let them chew on that one for a while.  
  
He felt the eagle-zord's talons bite into the lead walker and close around it. Hitting the thrusters in his jets he took to the sky, and in a matter of seconds was flying over the desert outside Angel Grove, trailing the captured walker behind him. Banking hard to the right, and pulling up on the yoke he slammed his prey forward and released the talons. He watched on his monitor as the command walker was whipped around and then went tumbling into the side of a nearby cliff with a very satisfactory explosion. He muttered into his microphone, "Now if this thing only had a cloaking device, it would be perfect," as he brought the 'zord back onto an attack run at the attacking walkers. Off to his right, he noted a missile fired in his direction.  
  
Junking to avoid the missile closing in on him, he cursed when his collision claxons suddenly went haywire. As he flew in low over the city, an energy web of some sort suddenly appeared over his cockpit, engulfing the eagle-zord. The last thing he remembered before hitting the canopy was seeing Billy's zord go down under a barrage of missile fire.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
Kimberly watched quietly as Tommy, Jase, and Adam picked through the wreckage of the two zords, not sure if she was more afraid of finding bodies or not. This last fight had been brutal, with no quarter asked and none given. When the wolf and eagle 'zords went down, the timbre of the fight changed, and Kimberly wasn't sure she liked what she was seeing in the boys, what she was feeling in herself. She could see it in Jason's and Adam's eyes, she could feel it in her own bones, and hear it in Tommy's voice. She wasn't sure for whom she was more afraid, her friends or the Kregar. There was a deep need inside all of them, a need that could only be filled by blood, and lots of it. The Power Rangers had finally come of age, and she wasn't sure it was a good thing. Their innocence had been stripped away, and what lay beneath was cold rage, and a thirst for justice.  
  
Jason silently dropped a piece of the wolf-zord's shattered hull, and Kim noticed that the material normally capable of withstanding a full missile barrage shattered like so much glass. What ever they hit the zord with had done something to change its molecular structure. She watched as one of her oldest friends stared up into the sky, fighting back the tears that threatened to overtake his eyes. "He's not here."  
  
Tommy reached out and put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "That's good news," he told Jason. "That means there's still hope. They're still alive."  
  
Deep down Kimberly felt the beginning of something stir in her soul. Billy WAS still alive- so was Kyle. She could feel both of them. They were injured, but were still alive. She reached out, touched Jason's face and said, "We'll get them back." The steel in her own voice surprised even her. "We'll get them back and make the Kregar wish they'd never even heard of the Power Rangers."  
  
Across the desert in the Power Chamber, Winter Hayes, daughter of her Earth's mightiest hero, thousand year old Time Lord, and all around trouble for anybody who wanted to cause it, had her hands full with a single very determined and very angry transhuman- Murphy Stone.  
  
She watched as the woman gathered every portable weapon she could find in the Command Center and packed them into a single bag. The tall redhead had shed her normal jeans and blouse and was now wearing her old police riot gear, complete with Kevlar vest. She had half a dozen weapons strapped to her- some of which, Winter recognized as advance experimental designs from her father's company- and was cursing under her breath. Finally, Winter managed to get her attention between paint-peeling oaths, "Exactly what do you think you're going to do, Murph?"  
  
"I'm going up to that assault ship and getting them back," Murphy answered turning to face Winter as she checked the charge on a particularly lethal looking energy weapon. "I wont lose him again."  
  
Winter knew that the woman had become emotionally attached to the Rangers, Billy in particular. It didn't help matters that the boy looked and acted so much like her own deceased son, but she couldn't let her take on a whole assault ship full of Kregar warriors just because she was upset. "No, you're not. This isn't your fight," she calmly told her best friend.  
  
"Like hell it isn't," Murphy replied, pulling her flak jacket on. "It became my fight the minute I took the job."  
  
"You took the job, to be a military advisor, not a combatant," Winter told her.  
  
"Fine," Murphy looked at her, "Then I quit. My time is my own now, and I'm going to get those boys back."  
  
"No, you don't Murphy, you can't quit. You're in this one for the long haul." She sighed and put a steadying hand out to the larger woman. She knew that Murphy could walk right through her without ever breaking a sweat, and for the first time in her life, she wished that she was her father's GENETIC offspring, she could use his physical strength right now. "All I'm saying is give the others a chance. They might surprise you." She softened her voice, trying to reach past the hard emotions she knew were threatening to spill over her friend's mind, "They have a stake in this too." She smiled, "Besides, there's still a wild card to be played out."  
  
That seemed to have gotten Murphy's attention. She stopped and gave Winter a confused look. "What wild card?"  
  
"Covenant's bargain. The Rangers are the Power now. It's time they learned what that really means," she told her. What she kept to herself however, was the darker side to that bargain. She was beginning to have suspicions about some of the things she'd learned of late, and they scared her a great deal more than she would ever admit.  
  
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Twenty-two thousand, three hundred, eleven miles above Earth, in a geo- synchronous orbit, somewhere deep in the bowels of the Kregar assault ship, William Cranston screamed in pain. 


	14. Dark Revelations

Author's Note: There are some pretty serious concepts disclosed here. If you're squeamish, this may not be for you.  
  
There are only a few chapters left as the Rangers realize what they are and what they are becoming. Some serious decisions must be made and this is the beginning of the end. I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far, and I promise its going to be different before its over.  
  
Danny  
  
  
  
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Kyle had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. He was in a small cubical room barely ten feet across. The walls were bare gray, only broken by two small benches along them- he assumed they were supposed to double as beds. There wasn't even a door and he had no idea of how anyone was supposed to get in or out. The only light came from a white strip of material, perhaps ten inches wide that ran all the way around the walls just below the ceiling.  
  
Rolling to his feet he felt the world spin around him, as his head lit up with an explosion of lights. Touching his brow, he gently probed the tender tissue there and feeling the hard crackling texture of dried blood. He must have hit his head pretty hard on the canopy. Looking down, he realized that he was wearing only his birthday suit.  
  
Suddenly, a section of wall faded away, and Billy came tumbling through the newly formed opening. The Blue Ranger was bruised, battered and beaten. He was barely conscious and in the same state of dress as himself. There was something else about him, and odor. It was an almost animalistic spoor, and it set off cold anger in the pit of Kyle's stomach. As quickly as the opening appeared, it closed up, once again trapping the two teens in the room.  
  
Carefully going over to his friend he gently laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, whispering softly, "Billy?"  
  
Billy's reaction was unexpected and explosive. He lashed out at Kyle with a vicious kick, and screamed, "NO! No more! Please, no more!" The pleading broken sound of Billy's voice sent shivers down Kyle's spine even as he slammed into the far wall of the cell. Sliding down the wall, some part of his mind noted that Billy had scurried over to huddle whimpering in one corner.  
  
Kyle was unsure of how long he lay there stunned. Surely, no longer than a couple of minutes because when he was capable of moving again, he noticed that Billy was still in the corner, trembling. Shaking the cobwebs from his brain, he gently called out across the room, "Billy?"  
  
The form in the corner only trembled more violently.  
  
He pitched his voice softer, "Bill, it's me, Kyle." He slowly got to his feet, wobbled a few steps before catching his equilibrium- even injured the Blue Ranger packed quite a punch- and sat down on the bench next to where Billy curled in the corner. "Talk to me man. Let me help."  
  
For what seemed like an eternity, the only sounds coming from the huddle of broken flesh next to him were heart-rending sobs. Finally, perhaps an hour later- Kyle had no way of telling the passage of time- the sobbing stopped, and he saw Billy carefully peek his head out of the ball into which he'd rolled himself. Kyle noted that most of the bruises and abrasions on the Blue Ranger had healed themselves. He then realized that his own injuries felt much better as well. "Kyle?" Billy's voice was as much a plea for help as it was a question of who he was.  
  
"I'm here, Bro," Kyle used the male Ranger's favorite appellation, and reached out and gently touched Billy's shoulder. The other boy seemed to cringe from the touch and pull back, so Kyle dropped his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you Bill."  
  
"Kyle?" this time the voice was stronger, a little more in control, but Kyle could sense that any such control was paid for with sheer force of will.  
  
"Yeah, Bro?" Kyle answered.  
  
"It's Michael, he's here. Hayes was right, Kevin was right, he's a being of pure violence. He's insane. Don't let him take you. Don't let him do to you." his voice broke off as unbearable memories washed over his friend.  
  
Kyle gently reached out and touched the back of Billy's hand in a gesture of comfort. Suddenly, he felt the world shift around him. Memories flooded over him; memories not his, but still part of him.  
  
***** He was another raven-haired boy facing off with Michael. There was a cold anger deep in his gut, an anger that demanded the warmth of vengeance for what Michael had done to his team, his friends. Brandon was dead. Suzanne, Tracy, and even Bone were dead. Now it was just him and Michael, and he knew what as coming, what he was going to do. He knew that he was the last thing standing between Earth and Michael's forces.  
  
He silently swore to whatever deity might be listening- swore on the souls of his friends, made a solemn covenant with God that he would not let Michael have his world. He was not going to let him turn his world into a launching point for a takeover of the multiverse. Only one of them was going to walk out of this fight, and he planned on it being him.  
  
Michael's face glared at him from across the broad gray plane. He could see the insanity in his eyes, could see the power there too. Kyle could feel his other-self reach deep inside, draw on his will, on his anger, becoming stronger. They charged each other, clashed with a bone shattering power and grappled. Kyle could feel the force of their wills warp reality, change the very fabric of the universe as they hurled energies of a cosmic scale against each other.  
  
However, his other-self had been born a mortal, had a mortal's sense of limitations, a mortal's understanding of the universe, and he was facing a being who'd been there when the world was created. He began to falter, he doubted himself, and then, his will went away, and with his will, his power, and then he was pinned.  
  
Kyle lived through the violence of the beating. He felt every blow, and felt Michael bring his will to bear to heal the damage only to repeat the blow a second time. He felt the snapping of ribs and their subsequent repair- the bursting of internal organs only to have them reformed. Finally, he heard the ripping of cloth, the cool air of the void against his body. Then he felt the pain of the violation, the humiliation of being used for another's violent pleasure. He felt the force of Michael's body against him, saw the leering face, the cruel smile, and the insane eyes. Something in him reached out for help, to give him the will to fight what was happening to him.  
  
Then he felt It. It was in the world around him. It was the struggle for life that every creature on earth felt during its fight to survive. It was the necessity that led the falcon to strike the rabbit, the deep abiding need that caused the wolf to chase the deer. It was pure and simple the desire to live, and the violence that made it possible. Without thought, he reached out and drew on that, felt Its power flow into his other-self, and his will flare back to life. For a split second, his Earth knew peace, as he took its anger and violence onto himself.  
  
With a vicious kick, he flung Michael off his body and felt the tear of tissue as the Aphriem was torn from within his body. He kipped to his feet and Power flared within him. Before Michael could recover, his other-self charged forward and he was on the offensive.  
  
The fight from that point on was one sided. The Power that flared within his other-self erupted into a violence to rival that of even the insane Michael. Under their clash, whole realities shook from the violence. In the end, he stood victorious over his tormentor's broken body cloaked in the shadows of his sorrow. Deep inside his soul, he knew it was a hollow victory. His world was now safe, but he knew even he didn't have the power to destroy such an elemental force as the one that lay at his feet. It was then that he understood what his vow earlier meant- that by taking the Power unto himself he'd made the Covenant unbreakable. He was now and forever, permanently part of the Power. He was now the Power that stood between Michael and all the realities that he would conquer. It had cost too much though. Brandon, his first and only love, the other half of his soul, was dead. So were Tracy, Bone, and Suzanne. His life was empty, devoid of love. *****  
  
Kyle felt a loneliness echo trough his soul that brought tears to his eyes, as his mind suddenly shifted again.  
  
***** This time he knew the body he was sharing- Billy. He felt the young genius's mind open to concepts and ideas so far beyond his realm of understanding as to be frightening. Before he could marvel at the beauty of his friend's mind he realized where he was- what he was facing and how it would end. He'd already seen the results of this encounter, and that made his blood boil. He felt every blow, every healing, relived the same violation that Billy felt as the process his other other-self felt. This time, there was no connection to the Power, no violent absorption to give him strength. There was only the quiet enduring strength that Billy already possessed. That and a deep faith that no matter what happened, his friends would save him. Kyle's connection to the Blue Ranger broke as he realized that his friends had failed Billy. That he'd failed him.  
  
The anger inside him boiled, and erupted to the surface. He felt his body go cold as the Power flowed through him. He heard a single voice, a familiar voice that echoed throughout the Gray, "Do you accept this part of me?"  
  
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	15. Revelations: Not what John saw

Author' Note: I hope you've enjoyed this little ride. It's almost to the end, and as you will see from this chapter, there have been surprising developments.  
  
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The anger inside him boiled, and erupted to the surface. He felt his body go cold as the Power flowed through him. He heard a single voice, a familiar voice that echoed throughout the Gray, "Do you accept this part of me?"  
  
Kyle's voice was a low growl, "Yes." Then his mind exploded! A thousand memories, not his own, yet all too familiar flooded into him. Those of another Kyle, on another world who had loved, and been betrayed, just as he and Neal had been betrayed. Another set of friends who'd gained the Power to fight off the invaders wrapped themselves around his heart. Then the memories of their deaths at the hands of Michael and his minions intertwined themselves with his own.  
  
Strong and quiet Tracy, the friend with just a little much of the 'player' in him- that aspect finally cowed and brought to heel by the quiet strength of Suzanne- lying broken at Michael's feet. Bone, Brandon's brother who refused to admit what his other-self and his brother shared- denying it with his dying breath at the hands of Hypolyta. Suzanne, the heart and soul of his team- the one who never judged him, even when the truth cost him his career, his schooling, and ultimately his family- dying trying to rescue Bone. Brandon- Oh God Brandon- Kyle felt the grief and sorrow his other-self felt over his lover's death. It was as deep as his own despair over Neal, but with a difference. This Kyle Kerry had no Adam in his life. His second chance was without the fire and hope to love again.  
  
*Not anymore,* a voice in his head, not quite his own said.  
  
*Not anymore what?* he asked.  
  
*I understand now,* the voice said. *You've given me that. You've given me, given us the ability to see that now- you and Adam.*  
  
*What has Adam got to do with this?* Kyle asked, feeling defensive of the new place in his heart the Black Ranger had carved for himself.  
  
*Everything,* the voice told him. *He is the unexpected fulfillment of what I thought to be an empty promise.*  
  
*Just who the hell are you?* Kyle asked feeling nervous.  
  
*I'm Kyle Kerry,* the voice answered.  
  
*Like Hell you are!* Kyle told him.  
  
*I am you,* the voice said. *I'm the you who watched and felt your ability to love again slowly kindle itself into what you feel now. I'm the you, that lived another life, on another world, who gained the Great Power at a horrific cost. I'm Covenant.*  
  
Kyle was stunned. This voice, these memories, this other life claimed to be one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. *You're the guy who sent me back, from the Abyss?* he asked.  
  
*The very same*  
  
*Why are you in my head?*  
  
*Because you're me,* the voice said. Kyle heard him chuckle mentally, *I had to make my own bargain to save you and your friends. I had to agree to become one of you.*  
  
*Why me?* Kyle asked.  
  
*Because you're me,* the voice replied. *You are this world's version of me. It was easier to merge with you than to warp reality whole cloth to create a sixth Power Ranger. The Master is efficient if He's anything.*  
  
*So my salvation was just an excuse to get you here on this world?* Kyle asked feeling somewhat betrayed. *You USED me.*  
  
*No, the choice was always yours. You could have gone on to the Abyss.* The voice sounded sad, *At the point you were offered the choice, "I" would have. You've shown a strength I didn't have, Kyle. You've gone on and rebuilt your life, while I buried myself in the fight against Michael.*  
  
Recalling the memories of this other-self, Kyle shuddered, *I didn't lose as much as you did. I still had my dad, and then my new friends.*  
  
*You're right about that, but you did take a chance I haven't. Not in all the eternities I've lived since I began this, have I allowed myself to love again. You did, and in doing that, you saved me. You saved yourself, and your friends.*  
  
Kyle shuddered at another memory, *I didn't save Billy.*  
  
He felt the sorrow in the other-Kyle, *No, you didn't save him from facing what I faced. But, at the same time, you can save him now. You and your friends can save your whole world.*  
  
*How?* Kyle asked.  
  
*By accepting the Power from me,* his other-self said. *By becoming what I am, and multiplying it manifold times your number- by letting me pass on beyond the Veil to be with Brandon.*  
  
*What do I have to do?* Kyle asked.  
  
Kyle felt his mind reach out and join his friends. He could feel Tommy's cool strength, the warm hearth-fire that was Kimberly's soul, Adam's calm serenity, and the burning anger that was Jason at this moment. Laced through it all was Billy's cool intellect and understanding. *Do you accept me? Are you willing to become a Covenant with your friends? Are you willing to stand between Michael and his minions against all realities? Are you willing to become more than the sum of your parts?*  
  
"Yes," Kyle said aloud.  
  
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Tommy felt a cold anger come over him as the visions faded. His body echoed the pain his other-self had felt- echoed the pain, and the humiliation Billy felt. The latter was so intense that it sent spasms through his stomach so severe that he was afraid was about to see his last meal for the second time.  
  
Billy was the friend that shouldn't have been, the friend that had no reason ever to be his friend. Beyond Rangering and their circle of friends, they had nothing in common, yet they were still friends. To Tommy, that made the friendship and brotherhood he felt for Billy that more precious to him. Now he realized, he'd failed that friend. He knew Billy was counting on him and the rest of the Rangers to rescue him. They didn't, and Billy had been forced to face the ultimate violation with only the enduring strength with which he'd always faced life's injustices toward him. The fury that was building in him now was unlike any he'd ever experienced. Once unleashed, no amount of discipline, no amount of meditation would bring it under control until it was spent. He heard Covenant's offer. "Yes," he answered simply.  
  
Beside him, Kimberly stood tears running down her face, a fierce look in her eye that shocked even Tommy. There was murder to be done there, and he almost feared for his own life with what he saw. Her jaw was clenched and her usually smiling lips were drawn in a tight white line. This was a side of his petit girlfriend he'd never seen before. For some reason his heart swelled with pride at the sight. "I do," she replied without hesitation to the voice that he knew she heard as well.  
  
Next to her stood Adam, his eyes reflecting the same whirlwind of fury he felt beneath the calm serenity of his features. Tommy had known Adam for a couple of years now, and knew that very little made the young Korean boy angry. Now, even he was surprised at the intensity in his voice when he said, "Yes."  
  
Like himself, the other Rangers were silently weeping- except Jase. What he saw in the Red Ranger's eyes sent a shiver down his spine. Those midnight orbs had contracted to ebony slits, as the tall youth clenched his fists at his sides until blood ran from the half moon shaped cuts his nails made in his palms. If Tommy and the others were angry, what Jase was feeling had to be multiplied by infinity. Tommy could sympathize with his best friend. If the same had happened to Kimberly, he knew he would be in a similar state. A low growl escaped Jason's throat, "Yes."  
  
In some distant world, Tommy heard the sound of Billy's voice echo the same answer, "Yes." As they had all accepted the chance to return to Earth to fight the Kregar, in the same unison, they now embraced the storm they felt building inside them. Some dry part of his mind, noted that upon affirmation, reality warped, and Kyle and Billy disappeared from their minds.  
  
Suddenly, the world around them shifted. Tommy felt the barrier to the Gray tear as the mists swirled to engulf him. He wasn't sure how, but this time Tommy knew that they had willed themselves here. Looking around he saw that he and each of his friends had morphed into their Ranger armor. From the swirling mists, wrapped in a cloak of shadows, a dark figure strode.  
  
Tommy reached out and firmly laid a restraining hand on Jason's arm. "Not yet, Bro."  
  
The figure spoke and Tommy recognized the voice. It was the same that had given him the choice in the Gray in the first place. However, it was also another voice- a more familiar voice. One that made Adam blanche at his side- Kyle's voice. "I have only a short time, and can only speak to you here before I pass beyond the Veil. You now are truly the Power, more than ever. You are limited only by your own will, imagination and knowledge. However, don't fall into the trap of letting what you've become shape who you are. I let my sorrow blind me. I became dark, and brooding. I forgot how to love. You've given that back to me." He smiled gently at them. "Don't let your anger do that to you. Anger, hatred and sorrow, are tools. Use them, but don't let them dominate you."  
  
"But I thought we should avoid them?" Adam asked. "I mean, isn't that the road to the Dark Side?" He made quotation marks with his fingers.  
  
Covenant chuckled, "Not if you want to live. The Creator gave you those things from which to draw your strength. They are part of you, use them, don't let them use you. Every animal draws on its fear and anger when the need arises. Humans are no different, we just try to suppress it, and of late let some half-baked pacifist from Hollywood's attempt at good story-telling influence our collective psyche. When it comes to this fight, there is no Dark Side- there's you, Michael, and reality. When you clash, you can, and WILL warp reality." He looked off into the distance as if listening to a voice Tommy couldn't hear. Nodding first he turned back, "I do have one final thing to ask."  
  
"What?" Tommy asked.  
  
Covenant smiled and the shadows around him dissipated somewhat. "Actually, it's something I want to ask of Adam." Stepping up close, he reached down and took the smaller boy's chin in his hand. For the first time Tommy realized that although his eyes spoke of a much greater age and experience, Covenant had the youth of somebody their own age. "Take care of yourself and him. You've both given me something I thought I'd lost. Thank you." He gently kissed the Korean boy on the forehead and faded away.  
  
"I will, I promise." Adam said quietly. "And, you're welcome."  
  
As if his very presence had been some kind of dam, Covenant's exit released a rushing river of Power that coursed through them. Tommy felt his mind suddenly open up to the Universe, as the Power permeated his very being. Truly a new breed of Power Ranger was born.  
  
At his side, Jason growled, "Let's go get Billy." Almost as an afterthought, "And make Michael pay for what he has done."  
  
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Next Time: The final showdown, where the Ranger learn that ". . . threats are illogical and Payment is usually expensive."  
  
Sarek: Star Trek the Original Series: Journey to Babel. 


	16. The Final Battle: The Price of Power

Author's Note:  
  
Well this is it, the final battle, the final chapter. There will be an epilog coming a little later to wrap things up, and tie up all the lose ends. I hope you've enjoyed this story. I want to say a special thanks to Mele and Serendipity, whose fiction I turned to when I was having trouble getting into a character. You guys have been a real inspiration to me, and got me started on the Jason/Billy thing in the first place. (Just one note though ladies: I don't play by the same rules as the other Yosties.) A special thanks to Dagmar Buse for prodding and pushing me along on this, and for some of the best fanfic I've ever read- even if she doesn't like my pairings. Also thanks to Scarlet Deva, Hartfelt, The Girl in the Red Jacket, and Baby Kitty for all the input and encouragement. If I've forgotten anyone, please forgive me- it wasn't meant as a slight.  
  
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Kyle looked over to where Billy was lying curled in the corner, his normally bright eyes, now dark with pain, and fury, his face stained with streaks of tears that reflected azure in the hard light of the room. There was something deeper lying beneath it too, something that could not be allowed to fester, or it would cost all of them more than they could bear. Kyle had seen that look before, seen it a hundred times- every time- he looked into the mirror in those weeks leading up to the day he walked into the building hoping it would collapse on him.  
  
Reaching out gently, he laid a hand on Billy's shoulder, "You still with me Billy?"  
  
Billy didn't acknowledge that Kyle had spoken. However, he did withdraw from the touch. Throwing his head back to think, Kyle sent a silent call for the other Rangers, Adam, where are you guys?  
  
*On our way, Kyle,* he heard Adam's voice reply in his head.  
  
*I'm not going to ask, I'm just going to be thankful that it's there.* He said through what ever it was he and Kyle were sharing. *Well, get here quick. I don't like the state Billy's in.*  
  
There was a sudden change in air pressure in the room as a rainbow of color materialized into the rest of the Rangers. "Is this quick enough for you?" Tommy asked.  
  
Tommy quickly scanned the room in which they found Kyle and Billy. It was stark gray with only two low benches in it. There were no facilities, no privacy, and up until five minutes ago, evidently no way out.  
  
He watched as Jason charged across the room to where Billy was lying curled naked in the corner. Kyle was sitting similarly dressed in on the bench. "Bill, it's okay. I'm here," Jason whispered gently reaching out to touch him.  
  
Tommy shuddered when after long seconds Bill looked up. The hurt in his eyes cut to Tommy to the soul, and he wondered if the Blue Ranger would ever be the same again. He saw Billy swallow hard and a hardness wash over his face, as he looked into Jason's eyes. "I'm alright, Jason." Tommy noted casual detachment to Billy's voice that he reserved for his science experiments. "If you will stand back a moment, I'll get up." Looking over at Kim and Tommy, he said, "I must apologize for my lack of attire. Our captors seem to consider clothing somewhat an inconvenience for prisoners."  
  
"Billy,. . .," Jason began and put a hand on Billy's shoulder.  
  
Tommy watched as Billy none-too-gently pulled away from the touch. "I am uninjured Jason," he repeated calmly. "My Ranger healing factor seems to have taken care of the damage."  
  
"Like hell you are, Billy!" Kimberly stalked over to him. "We know what happened Billy. Nobody could be all right after something like that, so don't try and go all macho on me William Cranston," she poked him in the chest with a finger, and advanced on the much larger man. "You've been hurt, hurt in a way that goes all the way down to the soul. Your Ranger healing factor," she made quotation marks with her fingers, "may have taken care of the physical damage, but there's more kinds of hurt than physical." By now, she had backed the blond into a corner.  
  
Suddenly the stone mask around Billy's face dissolved, only to be replaced by fear and loathing. "You know?" he asked, and the sound of his voice broke Tommy's heart. He understood something now. Billy had hoped to hide what had happened to him, not tell the others, and as Jason had once called it, 'just duck his head and wait for something extraordinary to come along'.  
  
"Of course they know," a new voice said as the room dissolved around them. "I wanted them to know." The cell disappeared and they found themselves in long marble hall. Tall fluted columns reached to the arched ceiling overhead. At the other end of the hall, beyond the statues of various war- gods was a throne. Lounging in it was a tall man with jet black hair and dark midnight eyes. There was a beauty, and a cruelness about him that sent shivers racing up and down Tommy's spine. "It wouldn't be any fun if they didn't know what I'd done to their weak link." He stood and strode down the hall.  
  
A low growl was the only warning Jason gave before he acted. Gone was the control that usually permeated the Red Ranger's actions. Now he was acting on pure anger, pure hatred, pure Power. He was a blur of red that slammed into the man from twenty feet away. Jason hit the stranger so hard that the dark haired beauty was picked up by the force of the blow, and literally slammed into the stone throne, cracking it. Before even Tommy could react, Jason was on top of him, raining down blow after blow after blow with a strength that was turning the throne into marble dust from its impact.  
  
"Enough!" the man bellowed, and lashed out with a kick that sent Jason flying through the air to land at Tommy's feet. Bruised and battered, the man stood and smiled, while the terrible wounds on his body healed before their eyes.  
  
Tommy helped his best bro to his feet, saying, "Take it easy man. Let's find out his weaknesses first." Tommy couldn't help but look back over his shoulder to Billy as he realized that their secret weapon for doing that was pretty much out of the fight.  
  
Striding purposefully toward them, the man said, "So you're the tactician." Sneering, he continued, "Well, you might as well surrender now, for I was directing the armies of light before your pathetic little people even crossed the land bridge into North America." Glancing over Tommy's shoulder to Billy the man then let his gaze rake back to Jason, "Does his weakness give you strength? Are you able to draw on this kind of Power because I hurt your puny little plaything?" His voice took on a falsetto tone, "He didn't really put up all that much of a fight you know. He really is such a pathetic little thing. After a while he just lay there and took it." He looked down at his hand, where a sword materialized. It a heavy two-handed blade with wicked serrations along the broadening point. He sighed and said, "I really should have put him out of his misery. But I really needed you to see him at least once, before you brought me my prize." He looked past Billy to where Kim and Kyle were standing.  
  
Jason growled again at Tommy's side, and he could feel Jason tense to attack again. "Not yet Bro." Tommy looked back over his shoulder and realized that while Kyle had called his Yellow Armor, Billy was still standing there naked. He called to his friend, "Billy man, we really need you to Power up. We need the Blue Ranger."  
  
The man laughed, "Yes, William. Do Power up." He smiled cruelly, "That way I can have my way with you again." He turned to face the rest of them, "After I do to your friends what I did to you." He looked at Tommy, "It was so good of you to bring me that little pink treat. Do you know how rare it is to find a female who wields the Power? Oh the fun we're going to have." Tommy knew that his opponent was trying to get under his skin. He was doing a good job of it too. He smiled and pointed the sword at Tommy's chest before saying, "I wonder, if I should take her after I've had my way with you, or before?" Tommy felt his hands clench into fists at his sides, as the blade sliced through his armor to prick his chest.  
  
"NOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOOoooooooo!" He heard Billy's scream turn to a howl. In a whirlwind of blue light and color, Billy summoned the Power and charged, his staff whirling in a deadly arc. "No more, Michael! It ends here!"  
  
Tommy felt himself slammed to the ground by a thunderclap not two feet from his head, as he realized that Billy's staff had broken the sound barrier just before it crashed into Michael. "So much for finding a weakness," Tommy said to himself as Jason joined the Blue Ranger in the attack that followed.  
  
The level of Power that his friends were wielding was staggering. Tommy could feel the Power course through his own body like a raging river waiting to be unleashed. As the Power built, so did his anger. This man had hurt, tortured, and humiliated one of his dearest friends. He'd attacked his planet with plans on conquering it, and using it as a staging point for attacking Heaven itself. He had threatened Tommy, his friends, and even Kimberly with the most vile of physical violations. Hell, he probably even kicked puppies and bit the legs off gerbils in his spare time.  
  
Tommy Oliver, Green Ranger, wielder of the Power, and all around hero, decided that there was no place in the universe for a being like the one that was before him, and he was going to make it his personal mission to see that his universe was rid of him. Stepping forward, he felt something click inside him, like the final piece of a puzzle coming together that let you see the whole picture. Tommy realized that Michael thought he was still fighting the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. He didn't know that he was in essence fighting six versions of Covenant, the one being who'd managed to thwart him over all these long ages of war. Tommy smiled to himself when he realized that Michael was in for a rude awakening and a very bad day. Oh, he understood that even this incarnation of the Power Rangers didn't have the Power to destroy a being that had seen the Big Bang, but they could definitely make him pack up his space ships and go play in his own back yard.  
  
As the war- for beings who wielded this kind of Power when locked in combat went beyond the realm of a mere fight- raged on, Tommy began to realize that he might have underestimated Michael. No, he had to be honest with himself, he had underestimated him, or at least over-estimated their own abilities. Yes, they could damage him, even hurt him- and Billy, Jason, and for some reason Kimberly, seemed to be going out of their way to do as much of that as possible- and he them, they could not seem to contain him.  
  
The palace they found themselves in earlier had long since been reduced to mere rubble, blasted out of existence by the ever-increasingly powerful weapons Billy was willing into existence, and the blows Kimberly and Jason were dealing. For just a moment, Tommy considered pulling Kyle and Adam back to see just how much damage the three of them could do, for he too realized that they were healing the damage Michael was doing to them just as quickly.  
  
However, he also realized that they were still mortal. They still had a mortal's will, and he had been paying attention to what had cost the original Covenant his first round against Michael. As powerful and righteous their fury was, it still could not match the stamina of an Aphriem. Eventually they, and he, would falter, and they could find themselves in a much less favorable position. Michael knew it too and said as much when he told them, "You can't win against me. I have been Ares, Mars, Tyr, and Thor. I have mastered every form of combat in the universe. You are nothing compared to my skill, and prowess. You will eventually fall!"  
  
Then it hit him. He hit the transmitter in his helmet, "Billy, you're fighting his battle! Back off dude, use your head!" The Blue Ranger simply ignored him, as he continued to pound at Michael's defenses with his staff. He knew it was hitting below the belt. He knew that Jase probably would pound him to a pulp for it, but he HAD to get Bill's attention. He called into the mic again, "Billy, if you keep fighting his fight, he's going to do it to you again. He's going to do the same thing to Jase, and Adam, and me, and Kyle, and. . . ," he shuddered at the thought, ". . . , and Kim. We need you to come up with a plan, do your stuff. Stop thinking like me and Jase!"  
  
That seemed to catch Billy's attention. He backed off and let Kyle and Adam take up the slack. Tommy found himself surprised when he realized that Billy was fighting with such intensity that it took two other Rangers to fill his role. Tommy knew a lot of it was his way of dealing with what had happened to him. In an odd way, Michael was supplying one of the very things Billy was eventually going to need to get past the pain of his violation.  
  
Stopping, for a moment, Billy watched Michael and then looked over at Tommy, "I've got it, Tom." For just a second Tommy could see through the mask on Billy's helmet. See the pleading look in his eyes; see the tears rolling down his face. He definitely heard the begging in his voice. He hoped to God never in his life to hear his friend beg like that again, "I can't do it by myself. I need your help."  
  
Tommy swallowed hard and nodded, "Anything Bro, you got it."  
  
Billy nodded back, and took a deep breath before punching something into the mini-comp that appeared on his wrist. "I'm sending you some coordinates. Grab him with me, teleport, and push him forward. What ever you do though, don't let him drag you with him."  
  
Tommy nodded as the coordinates appeared on his heads-up display in the lenses of his own mask. They didn't make a hell of a lot of sense to him- there was a quick double teleport in there somewhere- but he punched them in as he charged forward with Billy, trusting the Blue Ranger with his life. In tandem, the two men dove forward and over the heads of their teammates, each grabbing one of the Aphriem's arms. "Now," Tommy screamed into the mic as he willed the teleport.  
  
All Tommy remembered when on Billy's signal he released Michael was a flash of darkness so deep that he literally could not see even the front of his mask. Then he was tumbling forward past Jason to land at Kimberly's feet. Not a bad place to be if you asked him.  
  
"Where did he go?" Kyle asked looking around confused.  
  
Tommy saw Billy slowly pull himself from the gray mist as Ms. Hayes suddenly appeared saying, "That was an interesting choice of places to send him. It won't hold him forever you know."  
  
"It will hold him long enough," was all Billy said turning his back to her.  
  
"How long is long enough?" Tommy asked. He had a bad feeling about this. "Where did we go?"  
  
"Let's just say that by the time he is released from that prison, the matter in our solar system will have been recycled by the death and birth of other stars five or six times."  
  
Kim knelt down beside Tommy, feeling him as if to ensure he was really there, as Ms. Hayes continued, "That should give you some reprieve from HIM at least." She frowned and walked over and put a hand on Billy's shoulder.  
  
Tommy noticed that the Blue Ranger pulled away from the touch before he asked, "What do you mean from HIM at least?"  
  
Ms. Hayes smiled, "Michael was just one of the Council of Umbra, albeit one of the more powerful ones, but only one none-the-less. There will be others trying to take over other realities."  
  
Jason replied, "And you want us to deal with them."  
  
Ms. Hayes smiled, "I never said it was going to be easy, Jason. But, you took on the mantle of Covenant. It's your job now." She sighed, "I learned a very valuable lesson a long time ago. Power always comes at a price." She looked over at Billy, "Sometimes that price has to be paid by one person. Sometimes it's too high, but there's always a price."  
  
Tommy watched as Jason walked over and reached out to touch Billy, but something he saw in his lover's face made him stop and let the hand fall uselessly to his side. Turning back, Jason's voice was hard, "I think the price has been paid."  
  
"Do you now?" Ms. Hayes asked. "So now, you're just going to hang up your uniforms and retire to beachcombing in Northern Australia are you?" She walked over to him, "It doesn't work like that Jason." She gave Billy a look, "Yes, Billy's given a lot- more than anybody should have to- but if you don't step in, there are other beings out there who will do it others. You have the Power to stand between them and humanity. I thought you were a hero."  
  
"That's not fair," Kyle protested. "You can't hold his feelings against him right now."  
  
"It's not his feelings I'm holding against him," Ms. Hayes said. "It's his actions, or lack thereof- and I never said this was going to be fair."  
  
Tommy pulled the smaller woman to the side. He fought hard to control his temper, and keep his voice even, "Give us a break, Ms. Hayes. At least give us some time to heal," he looked over at Billy and Jason "Give HIM some time to heal."  
  
"I never said you couldn't have that," she smiled. "I just said that the war wasn't over. That there are other realities out there that need defending." She sighed and crossed her arms, "Look, you know there are different kinds of Rangers don't you."  
  
Tommy nodded. "Yeah, I've read some of the Zordon's files, there are even Space Rangers."  
  
Ms. Hayes chuckled at some inside joke, "Yeah, but they're only Space Rangers. What do they know about being Transdimensional Rangers? You six are uniquely qualified to defend not only this reality, but the infinity of realities beyond. You six are a new breed of Rangers, Transdimensional Rangers."  
  
"I'll do it," Billy said in a neutral voice.  
  
"Billy?" Kyle asked. "Why?"  
  
"Do I need a reason why?" Billy asked.  
  
Jason crossed his arms in front of Billy and nodded, "To them, maybe not. To me, yes."  
  
Billy leaned in to his lover and said something that only Jason could hear, and turned his back to him as if to walk away. Jason literally exploded, "That's not true!" Jason spun him around by the shoulders, "I love you, William Kevin Cranston, and nothing can change that. We'll get through this. I don't care what has happened, nothing will change that I love you. It took too damn long for me to realize that my life would be empty without you in it, and I'm not going to let you go off into the night." He looked over at Ms. Hayes nodded and said, "If he goes, I go."  
  
She smiled and looked around, slowly getting an acknowledgment from each of the Rangers. Tommy thought it was rather interesting that the six of them had closed ranks with each other to face the woman- each standing shoulder to shoulder with their lover. "Good, because your Command Center will be arriving here shortly with Murphy."  
  
"What about Earth- our Earth- who's going to defend it?" Kimberly asked.  
  
Ms. Hayes smiled, "Your friends back there," she held up a hand, "and before you ask, yes you'll be able to visit as often as you have time. They'll be taking over as the Planetary Rangers, just as soon as Zordon returns."  
  
"Zordon's coming back?" Kim asked excitedly. "Can we see him?"  
  
"Yes, he's coming back, and yes you can see him," Ms. Hayes told her as the Command Center appeared around them.  
  
Ms. Stone came sauntering up to them, her arm in a sling and the biggest grin on her face they'd ever seen. "Well, it looks like we're going to be spending a lot of time together."  
  
********************************************************** 


	17. Epilog

**********************************************************  
  
EPILOG  
  
Two weeks after the big fight in space, or as Rocky liked to refer to it, the Giant Space Kablooey, Kimberly found herself sitting quietly in the Youth center with all the other Rangers around her. Well, almost all the others, Jason and Billy were at the new Command Center in the Gray. Kimberly had discovered the place had a name- Sheol- but she and the other Rangers tended to call it the Gray. None of them liked to talk about what they witnessed happening to Billy at Michael's hands, and she knew that more than just the Blue Ranger had some healing to do where that was concerned. Jase and Billy were working hard together with Ms. Stone to get through what they were feeling over it. For some reason, the woman seemed to be determined to make sure both boys came to grips with what they were feeling, and work through it. Her dedication to this Ranger Team was extremely intense.  
  
"I thought I was dead for sure," Zack was telling them what had happened to their team aboard the Kregar Command Carrier. "I had nowhere to go, my hydraulics were shot, my weapons were drained, and that Kregar walker had me dead to rights. Suddenly, Ms. Stone comes shoulder-rolling across the hangar bay floor, firing the biggest damn gun I've ever seen; like Duke Nukem or something. I don't know where she got that thing, but it chewed through the walker like it was paper. It gave me just long enough for the auto-repair systems to get the auxiliaries on line and keep going.  
  
"You're kidding!" Adam said from where he was sitting with his arm wrapped around Kyle. She'd noticed that the two boys tended to touch each other a great deal more than they had before the fight with Michael- almost as if to reassure themselves that the other was there. "She actually went into the fight herself?"  
  
Katherine nodded, "Yes, she was rather insistent about finding Hipolyta. I think she may have eventually found her, because despite the broken arm she had a rather smug look on her face when we found her on the destroyed bridge of the Carrier.  
  
"Did she tell you what happened?" Tommy asked.  
  
Kat shook her head, "Only that she found what she was looking for."  
  
"So what now?" Rocky asked.  
  
Tommy leaned back, "From what I understand, you guys take over as Planetary Rangers, and we go to Sheol to keep the fight going against Michael's allies."  
  
"What happened to him?" Aisha asked.  
  
Tommy smiled and said playfully- trying to hold stretch out the suspense, "Billy explained to me exactly where we took Michael. It is the one place or time that can hold him- for a while at least."  
  
"Stop teasing us," Tanya protested, "where did you take him."  
  
"Ever read Douglas Adams?" Tommy asked.  
  
Tanya shook her head, "No. Can't say that I have. What did he write?"  
  
Tommy laughed, "Among other things, The Restaurant At the End of the Universe."  
  
"So where did you send him, already?" she demanded.  
  
"To the end of the universe," Tommy told her. "Billy explained it to me. He said that eventually the universe will completely wind down, and all matter and energy will be equally distributed throughout it. When that happens, nothing will be able to move, because it would be pushing against everything else in the universe. That's what they mean by entropy. Up until we did what we did, there was not enough energy and mass in the universe to cause it begin to collapse in on itself and start over again. Michael's presence changes that. In other words, we took him to the one place where his own mass and energy will be just enough to change the universe from one that ends in entropy to one that will rise again from the ashes of the old."  
  
"Billy turned the most violent creature in the multiverse into the cause of the rebirth of the universe?" Adam asked. He smiled broadly and leaned back pulling Kyle with him. "Stephen Hawking is going have a conniption fit."  
  
"It seemed appropriate," Tommy shrugged. Kim was glad that the Blue Ranger was talking to someone about what happened besides Jason and Ms. Stone. This was a good sign. It meant that he was healing it meant that he was getting better, and she was a little closer to having her friend back. She just wished that he would talk to her.  
  
"How's he doing?" Adam asked carefully. The other Rangers knew that Billy had been tortured, but not to what extent, and it had been decided among the Transdimensional Rangers to keep it as quiet as possible. Not even their parents knew exactly what happened.  
  
Tommy shrugged. He'd talked to Billy Jason earlier this morning, "He has good days and bad days. Mainly, he's holding on, and getting a little better each day."  
  
"When do you think he'll but up to fighting again?" Zack asked, worry in his voice.  
  
Tommy sighed, "It's not fighting that we're worried about Zack. Billy can fight as well if not better than ever. It's being around people we're working on, getting him to trust people." Tommy looked down sadly, and Kim understood how the Green Ranger felt about failing to rescue Billy in time. He said quietly, "To trust us; that's going to take a while for him to get used to."  
  
"I know you've told us that if we want to know what happened up there to ask Billy, but we haven't seen him," Rocky interjected. "All we know is that he was tortured. What can we do to help him?"  
  
"Just be there for him. If he wants to talk, which he's only starting to do now; and then mostly with Jase- let him talk. If he tells you anything, keep it to yourself. If it's not Ranger business, the rest of us don't need to know," Kim told Adam. "Mainly, just try to treat him as normally as possible."  
  
"And what ever you do," Kyle rubbed his jaw, "make sure he knows you're coming, and don't sneak up on him."  
  
"He hit you?" Zack asked in astonishment. Billy was the last person any of them expected to lash out violently, but considering what he'd been through, it was understandable.  
  
Kyle nodded, "Knocked me clear across the room, before I realized what was happening." He smiled, "I think I startled him. It's a good sign though. It means that he's not willing to lie down and become a victim."  
  
Before anyone could reply, their communicators went off. The familiar and much loved and missed voice of Zordon called to them, "RANGERS, PLEASE TELEPORT THE COMMAND CENTER IMMEDIATELY."  
  
Arriving in the Power Chamber as eleven streaks of light, they all snickered to themselves as they saw Jase and Billy in a rather intimate embrace; each boy holding the other tightly. As the situation dawned on him, Jason slowly looked sideways, and muttered into Billy's mouth, "Not again."  
  
Billy just pulled the Red Transdimensional Ranger tighter to him and the two disappeared in a flash of red and blue light, leaving only Billy's voice behind. "I'm not finished with you just yet." 


End file.
